


A First Time for Everything

by mizmahlia



Category: Young Justice
Genre: F/M, Gen, My OC Nora
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-07
Updated: 2013-08-21
Packaged: 2017-12-04 12:50:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 40,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/710966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizmahlia/pseuds/mizmahlia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a collection of stories capturing the milestones of our favorite young heroes. You'll find some fluff, hurt/comfort, friendship and a healthy dose of angst- a little something for everyone! Chapters are rated individually. Suggestions are welcome!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Failure

**Author's Note:**

> Quote for this chapter: 
> 
> If you can accept losing, you can't win. -Vince Lombardi

The halls of Mount Justice were unnaturally quiet.

Normally there was loud music and shouting coming from the gym. Today it was empty. So was the kitchen, the library and all of the bedrooms. The six team members were all sitting in the living room. They couldn't bear looking at or talking to each other, but they also couldn't bring themeslves to separate, either. A stifling, heavy silence had taken the place of the friendly banter and one team member couldn't tolerate it anymore.

"Anyone feel like going to the beach?"

Silence.

Robin sighed softly, his question going unanswered yet again. He tossed the remote to Superboy and was about to leave when Kaldur spoke up.

"I'll come with you."

Robin waited while Kaldur finished whatever he was writing in his journal. He looked hopefully at Wally, who was perched in the bay window across the room. Wally met Robin's gaze and shook his head softly, then resumed staring out the window.

"Well, you know where we'll be." Robin glanced at the others, hoping someone else would follow. Megan was curled up on the couch, her expression one of pure misery. Superboy shrugged, picked up the remote and started channel surfing. He was the only one in the bunch who was successful at avoiding the rather large elephant in the room. He worked out all of his issues in the gym. Black Canary replaced another punching bag that morning.

Robin shifted his gaze to Artemis. She glared at him from her place on the other couch, not far from the window where Wally was sitting. He didn't return the glare, instead choosing to ignore it altogether. He and Kaldur left and were halfway down the hallway when they heard Artemis finally snap.

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you, Robin?"

Kaldur stopped abruptly and looked back toward the living room, then at Robin, confusion replacing his normally neutral expression. Robin paused and sighed wearily, taking a deep breath before heading back to the living room.

He entered the room and stopped just a few feet inside the doorway. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Wally looked up at him, then at Artemis, who moved to stand directly in front of Robin. Her hands were on her hips and her blue eyes glinted furiously.

"What's wrong with _me_?" he asked. She nodded once. "Nothing. I just need to get out of here for a while." His tone was even and quiet, which seemed to annoy Artemis even further.

"You can't run away from this. Going to the beach won't fix the fact we _failed_ , kid." She crossed her arms defensively, the anger in her voice starting to falter.

Robin pushed his sunglasses a bit higher on his nose as he thought about what he wanted to say. He glanced at each of his team members and he could **feel** the despair in each one of them. He could feel his own grief festering in his chest, slowly eating away at him from the inside out.

"I was there, Artemis. I'm well aware of the fact we failed. But I can't sit here and wallow in it. I need to... We all need to move on."

"How can this be so easy for you? Someone _died_ because we couldn't get there fast enough and two days later you're ready for a trip to the beach? You can't just shove this aside and pretend it didn't happen! We failed. Someone died." Her voice broke as she finished and she looked down at the floor.

Robin looked at everyone again, noticing how they were all staring at him, waiting for him to take his turn and crumble into pieces.

He didn't.

He _wouldn't._

He kept his tone neutral, but it was hard to hide the pain he was feeling. It crept into his voice anyway.

"This isn't the first time I've lost someone, you know. And unfortunately this won't be the last time, either. For any of us."

Artemis snapped her head up, startled by Robin's honesty. An embarrassed blush blossomed on her cheeks. Robin then glanced at Megan, who gave him a knowing look. She knew of one of Robin's losses, his friend Nora.

"It's probably the first time you guys have lost someone, I imagine." He paused, looking right at Wally. The redhead was trying hard to keep his composure but itwas slipping. "And it hurts. It hurts every time. But if you let it stop you from doing your job as a member of this team, I guarantee you more people will die."

Robin felt Kaldur's hand give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He turned his head slightly to acknowledge the gesture and continued.

"So yeah, we're going to the beach. If you want to stay sane I suggest you find something else to do instead of sitting here and letting this come between all of us."

Robin glanced at Superboy, who gave him a small smile in return before looking back at the TV.

"I'll come along, just let me get my things," said Megan. She brushed past them, also squeezing Robin's shoulder.

"Wally, you up for some sun and some sand?" Robin asked hopefully.

"No. Thanks anyway, though."

Robin nodded to Kaldur and they left. Artemis still stood in her original spot, arms still crossed at her chest. She grit her teeth and closed her eyes.

"Robin?"

"Yeah?" he answered from the hallway.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you, but.."

He poked his head back into the room, a smile on his face. "No worries. Believe me, I understand." She visibly relaxed.

"Thanks. Mind if I join you?"

"Nope, the more the merrier."

Robin's face disappeared from the doorway and Artemis stopped, turning to look at Wally. "You sure you don't want to come along, Baywatch? I promise I won't drown you."

Wally looked up and smiled when he realized she was genuinely concerned, but he declined again. His voice was unusually quiet. "No, I think I'd rather stay here. Redhead, remember? It's not like I'll tan anyway."

"And you think Robin will?"

He laughed out loud at her comment. "Good point. But it's ok, I'm fine with staying here."

"Well, you know where to find us if..." Artemis trailed off, turning to leave.

Wally glanced out the window again and saw Kaldur, Megan and Robin making their way down to the water. They weren't smiling, but he could tell their moods were definitely a lot lighter. Deciding he wasn't in the mood to be a spectator, he left his perch in the window and went to his room. A few minutes later he heard Superboy walk by, presumably on his way to join the rest of their team.

Later that night Wally lay awake staring at the ceiling in his room. His brain was running on a continous loop, replaying the night everything went wrong over and over again. With a groan he rolled over and pulled his pillow down, as if that would quiet the screams echoing in his head. Before he realized what he was doing he got out of bed, pulled on a t-shirt and sweats and made his way to Robin's room. He put his ear to the door and heard music, so he knocked.

"Yeah, c'mon in."

He walked in, shutting the door quietly behind him. Robin was sitting on his bed, a leg tucked beneath him and his computer on his lap. He looked up and smiled for a moment but it disappeared once he saw the look on his friend's face.

"KF? What's up?"

"Couldn't sleep. What are you working on?"

Robin looked at him for a moment and realized Wally would eventually explain the reason for the late-night visit, so he played along with the diversion.

"I'm organizing photos, actually."

"Can I see?"

Robin nodded and moved over to make room, then he handed the laptop to Wally. Sliding his index finger around on the touchpad, Wally brought up the folder of photos Robin had been sorting through and opened one. It was a girl, a very _pretty_ girl, and she was holding a trophy.

"Who is this?"

Robin leaned over to look at the screen.

"That's Nora. She was a friend of mine. We won that trophy for our science project."

Wally looked at the screen then at Robin, who had ditched his glasses and was rubbing his eyes.

"Wait. She _was_ a friend of yours?"

"Yeah. She, uh, died." Robin looked away for a moment, then back at the screen. Wally elbowed him.

"When? You never told me about her."

"In case you haven't noticed I don't talk about my personal life much, dude." Robin crawled off the bed and went to sit in the leather office chair at his desk.

"But this is me we're talking about here. I've known you for a while now." He closed the laptop and put it on the bed beside him. "So spill."

"There's not much to say. She was a great friend of mine and she died. Cancer." He spun the chair around to avoid looking at Wally.

"When?"

"Couple of weeks ago."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah." Robin spun the chair again.

"Why didn't you say anything? I had no idea."

Robin stopped spinning and looked at Wally. "That's kind of the whole point. I didn't want anyone knowing, it doesn't change anything. We still have a job to do and I couldn't let how I feel get in the way."

Wally didn't say anything at first, letting what Robin said sink in. He was pulled from his thoughts when Robin asked him a question.

"So why did you stop by, anyway?"

"How do you do it?" Wally asked. Robin just looked at him.

"Do what?"

"Move past all of this crap. Your friend dies and you just kept going like nothing ever happened. I wish I could do that, just make it all go away."

Robin chuckled. "I didn't make it all 'go away'. It hurts, Wally. It hurts a lot. But I can't sit here and cry about it. It doesn't do me any good."

"I can't stop replaying everything that happened in my head. It won't stop."

"Good."

"How the hell is that good, Rob?"

"You take it all with you, the good and the bad. It's a reminder of why we do what we do." He got up from his chair and went to sit down on the bed again. "It's easy to do all of this when you think about the good stuff, the missions that went right. It says a lot about you when you can continue to fight, even when all you want to do is quit."

"Batman tell you this?"

"Yeah, he did."

"And you believed him?"

Robin punched Wally in the arm. "He's got a point, you know."

"I know."

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, processing their conversation. Wally was the first to speak.

"You know, Bats is a lot like Yoda, except he's really tall and not green. He always seems to have such good advice."

Robin cracked a smile. "Learn a lot from him you would, Young Skywalker."

"Not even close to funny, dude." Wally smiled, then yawned loudly and stretched. "I think I can go to bed now."

"Good. Then get out of here!"

Wally climbed off the bed and turned back to him. "Thanks, Rob."

Robin shrugged. "No problem. You'd do the same for me."


	2. Dick's First Blanket Fort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quote for this chapter: 
> 
> In my friend, I find a second self. -Isabelle Norton

Mount Justice, 1:35 EDT

Wally peeked his head into the study and smiled when he saw Robin sitting at one of the cherrywood desks. The desk lamp was the only light in the room and the only sound was that of Robin's pen scribbling in his notebook furiously. There was a large textbook to his left, a smaller one in front of him and a notebook on his right.

Wally leaned against the doorframe and frowned when he saw Robin sigh, leaning his head on his hand in frustration.

"I take it you're stuck?"

Robin looked up immediately, grinning when he saw Wally.

"Hey Wally. Not stuck, just tired of working on homework. What's up?"

Wally shrugged and walked into the room, taking a chair in front of the desk. "Not much. Kaldur and Megan went to some farmer's market. Superboy disappeared early this morning and the blonde-haired devil woman went shopping."

Robin dropped his pen and flexed his cramped fingers, then raised his arms over his head to stretch. " _Blonde-haired devil woman_? Really?"

"I figured it was easier to say than 'that chick who thinks she's a part of this team but lets bad guys get away'. OH! And then there's the whole 'no one has ever heard of her' thing!" He crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

"Other than to interrupt the writing of a twelve-page research paper that's worth _a third_ of my English grade this semester, what did you want?" Robin leaned the chair back and rested his sneakers on the desktop, putting his hands behind his head. "It's due in a week, in case you cared."

"Dude, I'm BORED. Entertain me!" Wally whined, clasping his hands together and begging. "There's nothing to do around here!"

"You could try training with Black Canary. Or are you trying to avoid having your ass handed to you again?"

"Weak, Rob. Weak. And she's not here anyway. Already checked." He stood up and began pacing in front of the desk.

"I could train with you or we could just hit the gym. I think a workout would clear my head."

Wally spun and faced Robin, pure shock registering on his face. "Are you always this _responsible_?" Robin looked up at him, clearly not understanding. "Robin it's a Saturday afternoon. This isn't a time for homework or training or anything like that. Saturdays are for fun!"

"Oh-kay. What do **you** suggest we do, then? I'm obviously not going to get any more of my paper written today." Robin started putting his books away, carefully marking his pages with scraps of paper before closing them.

"I don't know. What do you normally do for fun?" Wally watched Robin finish packing his backpack and hoist it over his shoulder.

"Somehow I think my version of fun is waaaay different than yours," he muttered, brushing past Wally. "I'm going to go put this in my room. I'll meet you out in the living room."

Wally frowned at Robin's remark, but went down the hall to the living room to wait.

Robin arrived a few minutes later and Wally noticed he had changed clothes. Instead of his normal hoodie, jacket and dark jeans combination, he was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a blue long-sleeved henley. His trademark sunglasses were still his only accessory. He looked a little more like the teenager he was instead of a miniature adult.

Robin plopped down on the couch a few feet from Wally and looked at him expectantly.

"What?" Wally asked, quirking his eyebrow. "Quit staring at me."

"Dude, **you're** the one who interrupted **me** because you're bored. Give me **one** reason I shouldn't be working on my paper."

"You didn't answer my question earlier, when I asked what you do for fun," Wally countered. "Answer my question first."

Robin shrugged and turned to face him, resting an arm on the back of the couch. "Well, when I was younger I loved going to the aquarium or to the zoo. I like playing xBox. If all else fails, I read or I do stuff on my laptop to make sure I'm always at the top of my game."

Wally felt his jaw drop slightly. "That's _it_? Video games or your laptop? What did you do for fun before you were old enough for that stuff?"

"I don't really remember," Robin replied. "I've been doing _this_ ," he gestured to the room around them, "this superhero thing for a few years now. Guess I never had much time for a lot of fun stuff since I also had school and homework."

Wally scrambled from his position on the couch, moving to kneel instead. He was absolutely _beaming_.

"So does that mean you've never made blanket forts?" He was standing now, jumping up and down on the couch.

It was Robin's turn to be confused; Wally could see his face scrunch into a frown behind his glasses.

"Blanket forts? What the hell are blanket forts?"

"OH MY GOD!" Wally stopped jumping and stumbled, falling right over the back of the couch. He hit the carpet with a heavy thud.

"Ow."

He stood and straightened his shirt but he was still grinning.

"Blanket forts are all kinds of WIN," he replied. "C'mon. We have to go find the building materials."

Wally hurried from the room and Robin followed, shaking his head slightly and laughing.

"This is going to be interesting."

Robin jogged down the hall to catch up with Wally. He almost passed the room where Wally had stopped until he heard him talking to himself. Backing up a few steps, he noticed Wally standing in the middle of the laundry room.

"Why are you in here?" Robin looked around curiously as Wally started rummaging through the cupboards.

"Clothespins. You have to have something that holds the blankets together." He rolled his eyes. "Duh!"

"Riiight, of course." Wally shot him a glare. He found the ice cream pail under the sink that Black Canary used to store the clothespins and held it up triumphantly. "Good, it's full!"

Robin stumbled back a step into the hallway as Wally rushed past him in a blur. He came back without the pail of clothespins, a mischievious gleam in his eye.

"Now all we need are the blankets. I'll get the blankets from the bedrooms, you raid the linen closet."

"Wait.. what? Bedrooms?"

"Uh, yeah? The living room is huge. We'll need all the blankets we can find."

Wally disappeared in the direction of the bedrooms, leaving Robin to gather all the blankets and quilts he could carry from the linen closet.

When Robin dumped his armful of blankets on the living room floor, Wally was already moving furniture around. He looked more closely at the blankets Wally swiped from the bedrooms, noticing Superboy's grey and navy blue duvet and Megan's yellow plaid blanket.

"How pissed is everyone going to be when they realize you stole their bedding?"

Wally stopped sliding the recliner into the corner and grinned.

"Team effort, Rob. How pissed are they going to be when they realize _we_ stole their blankets?"

Half an hour later they had both couches, the recliner and the stools from the kitchen arranged in the middle of the living room. The backs of the couches were about six feet apart and formed two walls, while the stools made the other two. Robin was busy draping Kaldur's quilt over the couches and Wally was working on covering the stools.

"I can't believe this is the first time you've ever made a blanket fort."

Robin clipped the edges of Kaldur's duvet and Wally's comforter together with clothespins. "That's like, the fourth time you've said that. What's the big deal?"

Wally paused for a minute, watching his friend work. "I don't know, I just thought every kid's made a fort at least once. It's part of being a kid." He resumed clipping another one of the bed sheets to the legs of a stool, making another wall.

Robin smiled to himself as he thought about his childhood.

It hadn't been all bad. Sure, it had its royally crappy moments but all in all, he was lucky. As if being in a circus wasn't cool enough, he was Batman's partner on top of it. And he lived with **Bruce Wayne**. Bruce had taken him all over the world when he traveled on Wayne Corp business. Anything he wanted to do, Bruce made sure he got the chance to do it. Wally acted as if Robin didn't know what he was missing, having never made a fort like this.

Robin was pretty certain Wally had no idea what _he_ was missing.

He shook his head and chuckled at the thought of Alfred helping him make a fort like this, though. He'd have a COW to see clean blankets piled on the floor.

Once the walls and roof were done, Wally dragged the couch cushions into the fort and laid them down as a makeshift floor. Robin spread his comforter over the cushions and collapsed in a heap and lay on his back.

"So what do we do now?"

Wally sat down, leaning against the back of one of the couches.

"Whatever we want."

"We should have included the entertainment center as a wall of the fort." Robin rolled onto his side and propped his head on his hand.

"Why?"

"Two words: 'Hard Rain'."

"Awesome idea! But I get to be Ellis. You can be Nick."

"Dude, no way! I'm Ellis and _you_ can be Nick. Or Coach."

"Nope, age before beauty. I'm older, I get to pick first."

* * *

 

**Two Hours Later**

"DUDE! What do you think you're doing? You had the chance to smoke Rochelle and pull her into my puddle of Spitter goo!" Wally elbowed Robin, never taking his eyes off the TV.

"If you had better aim, I wouldn't have to pull her into it, numbnuts."

Robin paused the game and looked at Wally as the computer announced the return of Artemis.

"What are we gonna..."

Wally shook his head and held a finger to his lips, Robin taking the hint to be quiet. He held up his hand, counting backwards from five, four, three, two...

"WALLY! Where the HELL are my BLANKETS?"

Robin whipped his head around, cringing at the tone of her voice. A slight breeze ruffled his hair and he turned around.

Wally was gone.

"Wally, you SUCK!"


	3. Crushes Really Do Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quote for this chapter:
> 
> The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend. -Henry David Thoreau

Wally West was an eternal optimist.  
  
If there was a silver lining to whatever situation the team was in, you could be certain he would be the one to find it. Like the time Professor Ivo escaped after they defeated Amazo, for example. Wally's response? At least they knew Amazo was out of the way so there would be less of a distraction next time. And when Bane kicked the ever-loving crap out of Robin, who had to have his knee reconstructed as a result? Now that knee was stronger than the other one and Rob wouldn't have to worry as much about injuring it again. So when Wally stopped pointing these things out and his sunny disposition disappeared, a couple of the team members took notice, specifically Robin and Artemis. The latest and most troubling incident took place after they returned from Bialya few days earlier.

* * *

  
The bioship docked and the cargo hold slid open. For a moment no one moved as if they were trying to find the energy just to get off the ship. Kaldur was the first to try and sit up, but he stumbled as he was still weak and dehydrated. Superboy was quick to his side, easing him off the table and down the ramp. Megan floated from her seat and out of the cargo hold, muttering something about getting food ready for Wally as she disappeared down the hallway. Artemis stood and stretched her arms over her head. Wally stood and turned, cocking an eyebrow at the sound of her shoulder popping loudly.  
  
"Yikes. You ok?" Wally reached out and rubbed her shoulder for a moment, a slightly concerned frown on his face. Artemis sighed and smiled wearily.  
  
"Oh, yeah. It always does that. Doesn't hurt." She turned to follow the others but hesitated when Wally didn't take off at super-speed. "Are you ok? You're moving so.. slowly."  
  
Wally removed his goggles and polished an imaginary smudge on one of the lenses, not meeting her gaze. "Don't have the energy to do that. I'm not sure I could even after devouring the contents of the entire pantry." He moved to sidestep her to get off the ship, but a gentle hand on his wrist stopped him. He looked at her hand, obviously puzzled.  
  
"I never really thanked you for saving me, for getting me out of range of those tanks."  
  
A small smile worked its way across his face. "Don't sweat it. Consider it a thank you for that arrow you shot at Amazo." He squeezed her shoulder again and brushed by her, calling over his shoulder, "that makes us even now."  
  
Artemis chuckled. "Ok, we're even. But still, thank you." Wally nodded his head and walked down the ramp. "And going that fast was really fun by the way – I'm a little jealous!" The chuckle died on her lips when Wally didn't acknowledge her comment and continued toward the exit of the hangar.  
  
"Okay, that was odd." Robin leaned a hip on one of the seats, arms across his chest as he stared after Wally. "No kitschy comment about getting some sun while we were there, or the odd souvenir we brought back. And the fact he thanked you for helping out with Amazo? Definitely strange."  
  
"You noticed that too, huh?" Artemis glanced at Robin from the corner of her eye before grabbing her bow and empty quiver. "I wonder what's wrong."  
  
Robin shrugged. "Probably nothing serious. I don't know what his record is for going without food, but I'm sure this is up there. I bet he'll be fine tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah, let's hope so."  
  


* * *

  
A short time later most of the group was sitting in the kitchen, working in companionable silence. Kaldur was the only one who was gone, having made the trip back to Atlantis to visit for the evening. Being in the desert that long had really taken a lot out of him. Superboy was stirring a large bowl of pancake batter and Megan added a pint of blueberries to the bowl, leaning against the counter next to him. They were both smiling and every now and then, Superboy would nudge Megan with his elbow or she would playfully hit his bicep with the back of her hand.  
  
Robin watched their interaction with curiosity from a stool at the center island. Whatever the two of them had been through during Superboy's rescue had definitely changed their relationship. He glanced over at Artemis, who was slicing a banana into a bowl of mixed fruit. She too was watching the pair but her expression was unreadable. She looked up at him then gestured to the pair at the counter. _What's with them?_ she mouthed silently.  
  
Robin smirked and shrugged his shoulders, turning to the living room where Wally was stretched out on the couch watching TV. He was totally ignoring what was going on in the kitchen, instead focusing on a TV show about the greatest discoveries in chemistry on the Discovery Channel.  
  
"Hey, Wally. There's some food ready if you're interested," Artemis called out. "And the pancakes will be ready in a few minutes." She wiped her hands on a towel and stepped back, waiting for the inevitable 'whoosh' of air that normally accompanied a speeding Wally when there was food on the table.  
  
It never came.  
  
Wally turned his head and glanced at the food on the counter, then at Superboy and Megan still standing at the stove. His expression darkened a bit before he could camouflage it.  
  
"Nah, I don't need pancakes. I'll just fix myself a plate and head to my room. I want to finish watching this." He nodded to the TV and actually walked into the kitchen.  
  
Robin and Artemis exchanged shocked expressions and then looked back at Wally. He was loading up his plate with eggs, fruit, bacon, hash-browns and toast but carefully avoiding looking up at Megan.  
  
"I thought you liked pancakes, Wally. It's why I made them for you," Megan piped up, resting her hands on the counter. "Was I wrong?"  
  
Wally smiled, but Robin and Artemis both could tell it was forced. Unfortunately, Megan was still fairly naïve when it came to situations like this and had no clue. "No, you weren't wrong. I just don't like them anymore." He briefly made eye contact with Megan, noticing her confusion. "It's nothing personal." He picked up his plate and glass of milk and left.  
  
Robin, Artemis and Megan all looked at each other. Superboy frowned after Wally and moved to follow him.  
  
"Superboy, stay here. He's fine." Robin hopped off his stool and grabbed a plate.  
  
"But that was weird. And it was rude, what he said. I want to know why he said it."  
  
"No, it's ok. We're all a bit out of sorts after what happened," Megan replied. She put her hand on Superboy's shoulder. "It's not his fault, he hasn't eaten in a while and he must be really tired."  
  
 _I wouldn't want to sit in here, either, if I had to watch the person I like flirt with someone else,_ Artemis thought as she pushed her eggs around with her fork. She looked at Robin, who was also picking at the food on his plate, his mind somewhere else.  
  
There was a gust of wind and the slight rattle of china as Wally rushed in, washed his plate, glass and fork and then vanished again. Megan looked at the doorway Wally had just run through, confusion etched in her face.  
  
"Maybe he's not as tired as I thought," she murmured softly. She leaned her head on her hand and put down her fork. "Something must be wrong."  
  
Robin and Artemis looked at each other again, both realizing exactly what was wrong with Wally. But when would Megan come to the same conclusion?

* * *

  
The next afternoon the group was summoned for a debriefing. Batman, Flash, Superman, Aquaman, Green Arrow and Martian Manhunter all stood together in front of the enormous computer screen, sorting through maps and notes, discussing strategies. Slowly everyone filtered in. Artemis and Megan entered together, followed by Superboy and Kaldur. Robin sauntered in next, wiping his brow with a towel. He'd been in the gym when he received the call. Several minutes passed before Wally arrived. He stood off to the side, arms crossed over his chest. Flash looked at Wally, confused both at his tardiness and behaviour.  
  
"Ok, let's get started."  
  
Batman began asking everyone questions about what happened and what they learned while on their mission. Kaldur didn't have much to say since he had been incapacitated for most of it. Superboy filled in as much as he was able. Artemis explained how she came to in a small shack with Wally and how he whisked her away to safety.  
  
"Wally, what was your energy level like after going so long without eating? How did you handle it?"  
  
He looked up at his teammates after his uncle's question, then at the rest of the mentors. Batman was scowling at Wally's obvious lack of interest in their meeting. Wally shifted nervously.  
  
"I felt fine, really. Artemis is pretty light so it wasn't that difficult to get her out of there. She bought me some time by firing a few of her exploding arrows at the tanks." He nodded at Artemis, then swallowed thickly and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I didn't start feeling anything drastic until later, about 38 hours in. Then I wasn't able to carry anyone and I was weak, slightly disoriented."  
  
Batman nodded and continued talking, apparently satisfied with Wally's answer. J'onn was asking Megan about her battle with Psimon now and she was chattering on excitedly. While Wally was impressed with Megan's talents, he couldn't ignore the pang of jealousy when she mentioned how Superboy helped her defeat Psimon.  
  
"The League is certainly proud of your efforts in Bialya. You have again shown you are capable of handling difficult situations when they arise." Batman turned off the screen behind them, signaling the debriefing was nearly finished.  
  
"So, Wally, what wisdom do you have to offer the group after this latest mission? What can we take away from this?" Flash smiled at him, knowing this was Wally's favorite part of these meetings.  
  
Wally paused a moment, looking around the room. They were all waiting for a witty retort, but he didn't have one. He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"I don't know about the rest of you, but the best thing about this mission for me was the temporary memory loss." He heard several stunned gasps. "It was nice to forget a few things for a while."  
  
Robin's jaw visibly dropped. Artemis nearly choked on her gum and coughed loudly as Kaldur gently patted her back. The rest of the occupants of the room simply stared at him, not having a clue what to do or say.  
  
"Wally? You alright?" Flash stepped forward, a hand outstretched. Wally backed away slightly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"  
  
"Sure you are. You enjoyed having your brain wiped clean like a chalkboard? What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Just like it sounds. A lot of the complicated stuff was gone. It was easier to think, I could go on pure instinct and not hesitate." Wally gestured to the door with his thumb. "Are we free to go?" Flash glanced back at Batman, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod.  
  
"Looks like it, yeah."  
  
"Okay. See you later, then."  
  
"KF, wait.." Robin stepped forward.  
  
Wally looked at Robin, silently begging him to let it go. Robin blinked and Wally was gone.

* * *

  
Swish.  
  
 _Twenty-seven in a row. Nice!_  
  
Wally reached to the rack next to him and picked up another basketball, smiling slightly. He took another shot, the ball arcing smoothly as it sailed through the air. It dropped through the hoop, barely making a sound until it bounced to the floor.  
  
Swish. _Twenty-eight!_  
  
He picked up another basketball, dribbled it twice, bent his knees and was about to take another shot when a voice from the doorway of the gym startled him. His shot went wide and bounced noisily off the rim. He sighed and closed his eyes.  
  
"Wally?"  
  
It was Megan. Wally's shoulders tensed and he reached for another ball. He dribbled it several times and shot. It didn't even hit the backboard. He felt Megan approach and grabbed another ball. That shot hit the backboard, but missed the rim entirely.  
  
"Can I play?"  
  
"Sure." He handed her the ball he was holding and turned to leave.  
  
"Wally, please don't walk away from me." She bounced the ball back to him and he caught it, taking the shot from the three-point line. It sailed wide to the left. "What's wrong? We've all noticed you're acting strangely."  
  
Wally looked at her. She was playing with the hem of her shirt and he could tell she was worried.  
  
"I'm fine, gorgeous. Really." He smiled slightly and shoved his hands into the front pocket of his sweatshirt. "No need to worry."  
  
She raised an eyebrow as she continued staring at him. "I don't need to read your mind to know you're full of it." Wally looked up at her in surprise. "Now tell me."  
  
He opened his mouth then closed it, struggling to figure out what to say. When he realized there wasn't an easy or smooth way to say it, he closed his eyes.  
  
"I like you, Megan."  
  
"I really like you too, Wally. I don't..."  
  
He held up a hand and she stopped talking. "No, Megan. I like you. You know, how you like Superboy? That kind of like."  
  
"Like how I like Superboy? W-what are you talking about?" Her cheeks turned pink and she stared at the floor. Wally chuckled sadly.  
  
"Megan, you and I both know you like him. I can see it. Hell, we can all see it now, after whatever happened in Bialya."  
  
She shifted her gaze from the floor to Wally, finally seeing what she had missed all along. It was there, clearly written in the pained expression on his face.  
  
"I.. I don't know what to do here, Wally. What do I.. what should I do?" She took a step forward and Wally took a small step backward.  
  
"What I want you to do and what you should do are two totally different things. There's really nothing you can do." His voice was quiet and rough and he was struggling to keep the small smile from slipping off his face.  
  
Megan brushed her tears away, crossing her arms. "I don't like hurting you, Wally. Tell me what to do to fix it, I hate this," she pleaded.  
  
"You can't help what you don't feel, beautiful." They made eye contact again before he turned and left her standing there alone.  
  
Wally took a right as he left the gym and ran smack into someone a lot shorter than he was.  
  
"Ow! Watch where you're go..." Wally rubbed his shoulder and looked down at Artemis. The look on her face was proof she'd heard everything. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes. "Great," he muttered, "after having my heart broken, I get my face rubbed in it." He opened his eyes when she didn't say anything. "Where's the sarcasm?" She didn't answer and instead just looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Artemis?"  
  
She laughed quietly. "I was looking for you, you dope. I'm hungry. You want to go get some pizza?" She zipped her hoodie and shoved her hands in the pockets. She stared at him, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth when he didn't reply. "My offer expires in three, two..."  
  
"Sounds like a wonderful plan," he answered quickly. "Where are we going?"  
  
"I haven't decided yet. I figured you'd be a good judge since you're eating almost twenty-four hours a day."  
  
"Funny." He put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. She leaned into his side and put her arm around his waist, returning the half-hug. "Thanks for not.."  
  
She held up a hand and interrupted him. "Hey, I've been there. It totally sucks the first time it happens. But that's what friends are for, to help it suck just a little bit less."  
  
"Hmm. I'm starving. Who's going to pay for all the pizza I plan on eating?"  
  
Without missing a beat Artemis replied, "Robin. I bet Bats gives him a huge allowance."


	4. You Can Never Go Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quote for this chapter:
> 
> A promise made is a debt unpaid. -Mark Twain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter follows the general time line of the show, but it's AU in the sense that I don't think Roy would actually do what I have him doing in this chapter. Being all snarky? Definitely. Doing what he does at the end? Not so much. But I still was intrigued by the idea. And this is definitely darker than what I've written in this fandom before, so consider yourself warned.

**Star City**

**March 18th, 2:48 pm, PDT**

"In light of this recent discovery of misconduct by the prosecution, I have no choice but to declare a mistrial. The defendant is free to go."

Roy could barely hear the judge rap her gavel on the bench amid the cries of outrage from the other observers in the courtroom. His fingers curled into fists in an attempt to control his rage. Ollie subtly grabbed Roy's forearm as a reminder to remain calm. An angry outburst in the courtroom from a hot-tempered teen was the last thing Ollie needed right now. Samuel Anthony White, also known as the Adams Heights Anarchist, had robbed eleven banks and eight convenience stores in four weeks. After the robberies he had beaten employees within an inch of their lives and burned each building to the ground just for spite. He had plans to rob another seven banks when Green Arrow and Speedy managed to catch up to him. And now, thanks to a rookie prosecutor, the case had been thrown out.

"Let's go, Roy. We'll just have to watch him and catch him in the act again." Ollie stood up, buttoning his expensive charcoal grey suit jacket. Roy didn't move a muscle. He watched intensely as White shook hands with his attorneys, a gleeful smile on his face.

"This isn't right, it's not how it's supposed to go," Roy spat. "All of that hard work was for _nothing_. White gets to walk away a free man."

Ollie sat down again with a sigh, turning toward his disgruntled partner. "It wasn't all for naught, Roy. We stopped him from committing more crimes and hurting more people. While he was incarcerated people in Star City felt safe again. Sure, it's definitely an enormous disappointment, but we'll catch him again. I promise."

"Whatever."

Roy stood and rudely brushed by Ollie as he stalked from the courtroom. Ollie shook his head and loosened his tie as he followed Roy.

 _I don't know what I'm going to do with him and that attitude of his,_ he wondered as he stepped out into the bright March sunshine. _He's going to get himself in trouble._

* * *

**Star City**

**April 25th, 1:00 am, PDT**

Roy skidded through a puddle of dirty water and crashed into the dumpster next to it, knocking his head against the rusty metal. He struggled to catch his breath. The beating he had taken from White was like nothing he had experienced before. He was surprised he was still even conscious, let alone able to throw a few punches of his own.

"I told you and Green Arrow before. I _won't_ go back to prison," White growled. He stood over Roy, rain dripping off the bill of his black baseball cap. "I don't care what it takes. I won't. Go. _Back_."

Roy glanced at the Beretta in White's large right hand as he thought about his options. He could sweep White's legs from under him, but White had the hammer back on the Beretta and had _very_ good aim. The bullet graze on Roy's left side was testament to how good that aim actually was. He moved on to a second option. If he could manage to draw his knife from its sheath against his thigh, he could slash White's femoral artery. Once again, he ran into the fact that White's gun was cocked and loaded and it had a hair trigger. Before he could choose an option, Roy felt White's steel-toed boot connect with his right shoulder, dislocating the joint and rendering Roy's arm and bow completely useless. He tried to stifle the cry of agony but failed, writing on the ground, rain pelting his face. White chuckled as he crouched down next to Roy. A flash of lightning glinted off the smooth steel barrel of his gun as he held it against Roy's forehead.

"Well, Speedy, you've put me in quite a tricky spot here. I know the police are on their way and you would like nothing better than to stall long enough for them to get here." He lowered the hammer on the gun and tucked it back in its holster beneath his arm, grinning wickedly. "But like I said, I'm not going back to prison. Turns out I'm pretty good at murder, in addition to being a genius at robbing banks."

Roy said nothing as White taunted him. He was unable to put his shoulder back into place from his position on the ground. But he also was unable to sit up without excruciating pain from the wound on his side. He took a breath and looked White in the eye as he spoke.

"I'll make you pay for what you did back there, you psychotic piece of filth. Those men had families at home, they had kids."

White shrugged nonchalantly as he stood and dusted his hands together, his enormous frame towering over Roy. "I really don't care. They got in my way and learned the hard way what happens to people who try and stop me." He dug the heel of his boot into the wound on Roy's side. "Much like _you_ learned what happens when you ditch Green Arrow and I start carrying a gun."

Roy grunted as White ground his boot against the wound one more time. He could hear sirens a few blocks away. White cocked his head, grinning as he listened.

"And that's my exit cue. You take care Speedy, you hear? I look forward to kicking your ass again the next time you manage to catch up with me."

Roy coughed loudly and slowly sat up, spitting a mouthful of blood to the pavement in front of White's boots. "The next time I see you, White, you won't survive the encounter." His voice wavered slightly; the arrogant edge normally present was long gone.

White's eyebrows jumped in surprise and he grinned again. "That a threat, or a promise?"

"It's a promise," Roy replied, not moving a muscle.

"Better a broken promise than none at all, I guess." White paused, studying Roy. The boy was as defiant as anyone he'd ever seen, but White seriously doubted the conviction behind his threat. Heroes and their sidekicks don't kill and they hadn't managed to catch him again. He had free reign to continue his murderous spree through Star City. "You're on, Speedy. But I don't think you'll have the balls to do it." White turned and jogged down the alley toward his getaway car, his laughter bouncing off the brick walls. Roy groaned as he climbed to his feet, leaning heavily against the dumpster for support.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered as he used his left hand to rotate his right arm, sliding his shoulder back into place. He grunted in pain and it echoed loudly down the alley, startling several tomcats nearby. Cradling the arm to his chest, he made his way back toward where he parked his motorcycle, not looking forward to the ass-chewing Ollie would inevitably give him for going out on his own. At least he was fortunate enough to be injured so Ollie couldn't use training drills as punishment. It would take several days for Roy to be well enough to even go to class, let alone go on patrol or train. And by then Ollie might have calmed down some and the punishment might not be as harsh.

He wasn't sure how much more he could take, being Green Arrow's sidekick. But he still had a bit to learn before heading out on his own if tonight was any indication. Maybe the extra training wasn't a bad idea after all.

* * *

**Star City**

**June 3rd, 3:28 pm, PDT**

Gunfire tore through the small bank, shattering windows and raining glass down upon the few people left in the building. A young woman stood behind the counter with her hands in the air. White stood in the middle of the lobby, a pair of Glocks in his hands. Roy was pinned down behind the counter, unable to get a decent shot at White.

"Well, sweetheart, thanks for emptying the drawers for me. Your job is done here." White lowered one gun and aimed the other directly at her. She gasped in horror as she realized what he was planning to do. With a vicious smile and a wink, White pulled the trigger. She dropped to the floor behind the counter, not ten feet from Roy, writing in pain.

"Damn it, White! You son of a bitch!" Roy knelt down next to the teller, pressing his palm against her shoulder. It was a through-and-through and the bullet lodged in the wall behind the counter. She looked up at him, wide-eyed and frantic as she saw blood pulsing through his fingers. He motioned to one of the other tellers behind the counter with them. She crawled over to them and her complexion immediately paled at the sight of all the blood.

"I need your help, okay?" He handed her a field dressing from the basic first aid kit secured beneath the counter. "Press this over the wound as hard as you can. There's a jacket under her shoulder that's stopping the bleeding on the other side." He slid his hand out of the way, applied the bandage and pressed her hand down over the wound. "Whatever you do, keep her calm and don't let up."

She nodded and swallowed hard. Roy drew an arrow from his quiver and slid it into his bow. He stood and aimed at White's chest.

"Well, I was wondering when you would come out of your little hiding spot," White chuckled. "I was beginning to think you had chickened out." He raised his other arm again, aiming both guns at Roy.

"This ends now, White. Drop your weapons."

"No, it doesn't. I'm not finished. See, I planted a little surprise at the middle school down the block. I wonder if Green Arrow has any experience disarming explosives. We'll see, I suppose."

"Don't you remember what I said the last time we met?" Roy walked around the counter and out into the lobby area, glancing at the three dead security guards nearby. "I said the next time we meet, you die."

"Oh, I remember. But I still don't think you have it in you, hotshot." White pointed both Glocks at Roy and fired, the rounds barely missing him and shattering another window behind him. Roy visibly flinched. "See, even after that you _still_ don't have it in you to make good on your threat."

Roy heard Ollie through his earpiece telling him the bomb had been taken care of and that no one had been hurt.

"Guess your little science project at the school failed. Now drop your weapons, this is getting old." Roy drew back his bow string, ready to take White down for good.

"Should have taken your shot when you had the chance, you cocky little prick." White holstered one of his guns and drew a detonator from his jacket pocket. "I always have a backup plan." He pressed the button and there was an explosion of light and sound, smoke filling the air. Roy started to cough violently and his eyes watered. As the smoke cleared, he saw the SWAT team rushing in.

White was nowhere to be found.

Hours later, Ollie and Roy sat at the kitchen table talking. Roy held his head in his hands in frustration, tugging on his hair.

"I had a chance to take him down and I didn't take it. What the hell is wrong with me?"

Ollie drained the last of the scotch from his glass and sighed. "There's nothing wrong with you, kid. You didn't take the shot because you didn't want to kill him. That's the honorable thing to do."

"No, I wanted to kill him."

Ollie startled, taken aback by Roy's admission. "You can't be serious."

"Yeah, I'm serious. White's been taunting us for months now. I had a clear shot at him and I hesitated." He looked up at Ollie, anger evident on his young face. "But I couldn't do it. People died because I hesitated when I had a clear shot the minute I got there. And you taught me not to kill."

"Listen, you can't hold yourself responsible for the people White has killed and injured. That's all on him, not you." He grabbed Roy's forearm and squeezed gently. "It's not your fault, you hear me?"

All Roy could manage was a nod. Ollie stood up and left, ruffling Roy's hair as he passed. He paused in the doorway and turned back to Roy.

"Roy, promise me you won't cross that line, that you won't descend into that dark place. Killing a man is something you can't undo and it's a place you can never come back from ."

Roy didn't move a muscle. "I know."

"Good." Ollie turned and continued upstairs.

Roy sat at that table for another two and a half hours, replaying White's taunts over and over again. The idea that he might have taken the shot had it not been for Ollie was an intriguing one. If he worked on his own, he had no one to report to. He made his own calls.

It was then and there he made the decision that he needed to be his own man. After tonight, Speedy no longer existed.

* * *

**Star City**

**September 14th, 11:57 pm PDT**

Of all of the cliché places for this showdown to happen, it just _had_ to be an old warehouse.

Roy grit his teeth as he drew another arrow from his quiver. He was cold, his jaw ached and he could really use a hot shower. He had White cornered and the guy was getting desperate.

"I know you're out there, kid. You're a persistent little shit, I'll give you that." White's voice carried through the expansive space and it was difficult to tell where it was actually coming from.

"Then why don't you do us both a favor and give yourself up." Roy made his way along the wall, sticking to the shadows. His new boots didn't make a sound as he circled around, spotting White crouching behind a stack of shipping crates, holding a young police officer in front of him.

"Don't you remember a word I said? I'm not going back to prison."

"Then that leaves only one other option, doesn't it?"

Roy chose that moment to show himself and White stumbled back in surprise, knocking several crates over. He tightened his grip on the office and held a knife to his throat, his hand shaking with adrenaline.

"You take another step and I slit this rookie's throat."

"Put the knife down. You don't want to find out how exceptional my aim really is," Roy said, his voice low and even. He stood completely still, his bow not wavering in the slightest.

"I think I'll take him down with me. Go out with a bang, you know?" White glanced down and made a move to slit the poor man's throat. Roy released the string and the arrow hit White's left shoulder. He cried out in pain and dropped the knife, the officer dropping to his knees in relief.

"I told you, I never miss." Roy drew another arrow.

White managed to stay upright somehow. Blood seeped through his shirt sleeve and trickled down his arm. "And I'm still alive. You just can't bring yourself to kill me. All that talk and no action. I'm disappointed in you, Speedy."

Roy shook his head. "Haven't you heard? I don't go by Speedy anymore. I go by Red Arrow now."

"Well, well. I'm impressed," White said sarcastically. Roy didn't miss the fact that White was reaching into his jacket. A second later he pulled out a gun and aimed at the officer, who held his radio to his lips. "But I'm not _that_ impressed." As he drew the hammer back, he grinned at Roy.

"I'm warning you, White. Don't." Roy watched as White squeezed the trigger. He fired the arrow he had been holding as the gun went off.

His arrow met its mark, hitting White square in the chest. The gun clattered to the floor. White stumbled back a few steps before hitting his knees. Blood poured through his fingers as he clutched the arrow in his chest. Roy glanced at the officer. The bullet had grazed his shoulder but it wasn't serious. He had his radio in his hand again, calling for backup.

Roy stood over White as he lay there bleeding out on the cold concrete floor.

"You never.. would have taken.. that shot had I not..tried to kill him," White sputtered, gasping for breath.

Roy's eyes glinted dangerously in the moonlight streaming in the windows as he knelt down next to White. "Are you sure about that?"

White looked up at him, his eyes widening in surprise before the light went out in them completely.


	5. In The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quote for this chapter:
> 
> Every mortal loss is an immortal gain. - William Blake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nora was first mentioned in the story 'Being Robin'- she's a character of my own creation.

The mid-September sun still shone warmly in the early evening sky above Gotham. Dick paused for a moment and sat on his motorcycle just outside the gates, listening to the breeze rustle the leaves on the trees. He could never quite comprehend why it was always so quiet here. It was almost as if Mother Nature knew this was a place where people came at their most vulnerable, so she kept everything subdued and peaceful. Welcoming, even.

He nudged the kickstand down with the toe of his shoe and tugged off his helmet, the breeze coursing through his dark hair. He hung the helmet from one of the handlebars and shrugged out of his backpack, glancing around the cemetery. There was no one here tonight, which wasn't all that uncommon. People tended to stay away in the evenings and that was precisely why he came now.

He reached into his backpack and carefully pulled out the flowers he picked up on his way. The cellophane wrapping crinkled, startling a pair of mourning doves nesting in the tree above him. They watched curiously as he removed the wrapping around the daffodils. The male dove cooed, almost as if he approved of the arrangement. Dick glanced up at the birds and smiled faintly before turning around, heading through the wrought-iron gates. The grounds were meticulously maintained; the grass was lush and green. The trees were pruned to offer a shady respite from the sun. The asphalt paths were smooth and free of cracks or potholes, even after the harsh winters Gotham City had to offer.

He fidgeted with the stems of the flowers as he made his way up the path, slightly uncomfortable and nervous. The headstones and grave markers in the older section of the cemetery were imposing. Some of them were over six feet tall and ornately decorated with wordy epitaphs. As he continued up the hill the headstones evolved, becoming more streamlined and the sizes scaled down considerably. Instead of pale marble or bone-white limestone, they were granite or darker shades of marble. His steps slowed as he turned the corner, the tense feeling in his chest growing more pronounced the closer he got. He paused, his grip around the flowers tightening. A rustle in the tree above startled him and he looked up to see the mourning doves from the gate perched there. The male cooed again and looked ahead, then back at Dick.

"Okay, okay. I'm going," he replied softly. He sighed and started walking again.

Once he got to her row, his feet glued themselves on the path and he couldn't get them to move. He hadn't come to visit since her funeral six weeks earlier. The mound of dirt over her grave had settled since then, but the grass hadn't completely grown in yet. The patches of deep brown earth contrasted sharply with the almost emerald-green grass surrounding them. Nora's headstone was shiny black granite flecked with bits of silver. It wasn't large or ostentatious, as many of them around her were. In a way he was surprised; Bruce had taken care of the funeral and her headstone. He figured the stone would have been large and expensive, considering it _was_ Bruce who had planned everything. But from the back, it was beautiful- shiny and classy.

_Nora would have approved, I think._

* * *

Not Quite Two Years Ago

"Master Dick, please stand still. This boutonniere won't fasten itself to your jacket," Alfred scolded. "It will only take a moment." He finished threading the single white rose through the buttonhole on Dick's lapel and secured it with a pin. He stood back and admired his work.

"That looks good, Alfred. Thanks!" Dick grinned as he looked at his reflection in the mirror Alfred was holding. "Bruce! We need to go! I don't wanna be late!" he hollered and hopped off the counter and ran down the hall, his dress shoes making a racket. Alfred thought about reminding him not to run but decided against it. The boy was just too excited. Bruce appeared at the bottom of the stairs, hands casually shoved in his pockets. He smiled at Alfred as Dick hurried down the stairs.

"I'm ready when you are, Dick. The car is out front. We can't keep Nora waiting, now can we?" Dick hurried across the expansive foyer to catch up to Bruce. Bruce rested his hand on Dick's shoulder as they left the mansion, a content smile on his face.

"I've never been to a school dance. What are they like?" Dick looked up at him, his intelligent blue eyes wide with curiosity.

"The dances we go to for Wayne Tech are a bit boring because there are only adults there," he replied, opening the car door for Dick. "But the dances I went to when I was your age were much more fun."

Dick grinned as he buckled his seat belt. "Good. I hope Nora has fun. I don't think she's ever been to a school dance, either."

Bruce shut the car door and made his way around to the driver side, smiling to himself.

They arrived at Nora's foster home at exactly seven-thirty, just like Dick told her they would. He sat in the car, his fingers curled around the door handle. "What do I do?" He turned and stared at the front door.

"Well, you have to get out of the car first," Bruce said, stifling another smile. "Then you knock on the door and ask for Nora." He paused a moment and waited for Dick to open the door. "Now is when you get out, Dick."

"Oh, right." He climbed out of the car and ran up the sidewalk, taking the steps two at a time. He knocked on the door and it opened almost immediately.

"Hey, circus boy!" Nora said brightly, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. "Ready to go?"

"Of course! I have your flower thing in the car, I forgot it to bring it with me," Dick said sheepishly, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. "But I picked it out myself."

"I've never had one of those before," she admitted. "But since you picked it out, I'm sure I'll like it." She peeked at him from the corner of her eye as she shut the door, noticing his suit and tie. "You look handsome. Your tie is the same color as your eyes. Did you do that just for me?" she teased.

Dick's cheeks flushed and he looked down at his shoes. "Well, I figured you would look nice, because you always do. I had to make sure I measured up." He looked back at her. Her dark brown curls were pinned back from her face with silver clips. Her dress was simple, almost elegant, really. It was black satin and reached her knees, and she wore a bright blue sash around her waist. "I like your dress, Nora."

"Thanks," she murmured quietly. They meandered down the sidewalk toward the car. She almost grabbed his hand, but pulled back at the last minute, instead picking an imaginary piece of fuzz off his jacket sleeve. He glanced down at her hand in confusion then looked up at her. "You had something on your sleeve," she said.

"Oh, thanks!" He opened the car door for her and she got in. As he hurried around the back of the car to get in, he missed the enormous grin on Bruce's face at watching the two of them together.

* * *

Present

Willing his feet to move, Dick stepped off the path and into the grass. She was at the end of her row and that spot overlooked the rest of the cemetery. He hadn't noticed the granite bench that matched the headstone until he'd gotten closer. Taking a seat, he made sure his shoes didn't touch the dirt. He stared at the ground for a few minutes, listening to the wind in the trees. This felt so much different than visiting his parents, who were laid to rest a few rows away. Visiting Nora brought with it a different kind of grief. His parents' deaths had been difficult, of course. But he had only been eight years old then, and it had been so sudden. Now, at thirteen, losing someone so close to him so _slowly_ wounded him much more deeply. Somehow in a way he would probably never be able to explain, the fact that his parents' deaths had happened so fast made coping with it easier, almost.

Nora hadn't died quickly; she had suffered. Unlike his parents, she had been sick for over a year and knew it would come to this. He had no idea what it had been like because he had been too scared to ask her about it. He used the excuse that he didn't want remind her of how sick she was by talking about it. In reality, he hadn't ever talked to her about it because saying it aloud meant it was real and that it was inevitable.

He gathered the nerve and looked up at her headstone. The front was simple, only listing her name, her birthday and the day she died. The ache in his throat intensified as he thought about how sad it was that a person could be reduced to a few letters and numbers etched on a rock and he looked away. A few years from now people would forget all about Nora; they wouldn't remember her warm smile, how she always messed up the punch lines of the jokes she told, how freakishly smart she was or the way her laugh made his heart skip a beat. The thought that _he_ may forget those things about her absolutely terrified him. He swallowed hard and focused his gaze on her headstone again. He could see his reflection in the smooth, glass-like surface of the granite and realized he was still holding the flowers.

"I guess I should give you these," he said quietly.

He stood and walked around to the left, away from the dirt- he _wouldn't_ touch the dirt- and kneeled next to the headstone. He frowned when he noticed the beginnings of several weeds growing and tugged them out, tossing them behind him. There were some grass clippings on top of the headstone and he brushed them away as well, wiping his hands on his jeans. He put the daffodils on the ground in front of the headstone. While the silence was welcome at first, now it was painfully lonesome and he couldn't stand it anymore.

"I'm sorry I waited so long to visit you. School started again and between homework and my 'extra curriculars' I haven't had a ton of spare time." He paused a moment and chuckled sadly. "That's not really a good excuse, is it?" He sat down in the grass and leaned back on his hands, crossing his legs at the ankles, staring at Nora's name. "I think you would have been in my calculus and chemistry classes this semester. We have a chemistry project due next week and my partner is awful. You should see him, Nora, he nearly started a fire in the lab last week.." he trailed off, swallowing back the lump in his throat. He rubbed his chest, subconsciously trying to get rid of the tightness there.

"I could really use a better partner. I think you kinda ruined team projects for me, Nora. You and I were on the same level, you know? You always knew what I was thinking before I ever said it."

He leaned forward, hunching over a little and stared at his hands. "There were a lot of people at your funeral, mostly people you met through foster care, I think. You know, the girls you used to live with and your case worker Annette. But Bruce was there, too. So were your doctors and nurses." Dick looked up at the sun in the sky, squinting behind his sunglasses. "It was really hot that day, too. I mean, I know it was August, but it was absolutely _sweltering_."

* * *

Six Weeks Ago

Bruce kept a watchful eye on his heartbroken son. They were on their way to the cemetery now that the funeral was over, and Dick was staring out the window. He had his sunglasses in his hands, tapping the bows together absentmindedly. Bruce sighed and looked out his own window. Truthfully, he was worried about him. Dick had carried on in public as if nothing had happened, but at home he would avoid Bruce and Alfred, spending all of his time locked in the library. Alfred insisted that Bruce just let the boy grieve, kindly reminding him how Bruce dealt with the deaths of his parents in a similar manner. And just as he had with Bruce, Alfred would leave a tray for Dick on a cart outside the library door with a few cookies, a glass of milk, and a peanut butter and banana sandwich. He would quietly rap his gloved knuckles against the door twice and walk away, smiling sadly to himself when he heard the door open and the cart wheeled inside. When he would check back an hour later, the sandwich would be half-eaten, the milk gone, and half a cookie left behind.

Bruce was fairly certain Dick's team members had no clue what he was going through; he suspected Wally knew _of_ Nora, but nothing more than that. And he noticed how Dick and M'Gann had these peculiar moments where she would pat him on the back or smile at him sympathetically, and he suspected she knew somehow. Dick wasn't completely alone but short of Wally and Roy, he hadn't ever had any friends like Nora. He felt Dick stir and turned, seeing him put his sunglasses back on and straighten his tie as the car came to a stop. He opened his mouth to say something, but everything he could think of sounded hollow and contrite. Instead, he straightened his own tie and climbed out of the car, joining Dick on the path up to the gravesite.

He caught up with Dick and gently placed his palm on the boy's left shoulder and squeezed. If Dick noticed, he didn't acknowledge the gesture. The director of the funeral home stopped Bruce a moment and Dick continued up the hill. Bruce feigned interest while the man talked about the service and how impressed he was with his own work with Nora, but he continued watching Dick. He noticed how much Dick looked like a smaller version of himself, save for the sunglasses. He had the same style suit, same style of dress shoes and the same dress shirt. He even had the same black hair and perfect posture that would make even Alfred proud. The only other difference, apart from the sunglasses, was the bright blue tie Dick was wearing.

His eyes widened in realization as he remembered the first and only time Dick ever wore that tie. Bruce excused himself and hurried after Dick, who was standing a few yards away from the tent where people were gathering. He was working hard to maintain his calm and detached exterior, but Bruce could tell it was starting to hit him, the finality of what was going to happen next, because he'd started fidgeting again.

Dick's shoulders slumped and he started to turn away from the gravesite, but when he met Bruce's gaze his fingers instantly stopped toying with his cuff links. Bruce once again put his hand on Dick's shoulder in reassurance and led him through the small group of people to the chairs next to the gravesite. They took their seats and Bruce removed his handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the sweat on his brow. He gently nudged Dick with his elbow, offering him a dry handkerchief, but Dick shook his head despite the beads of sweat rolling from his temples.

Father Thomas greeted everyone and began the service. Other than Father Thomas' voice, the only sounds Bruce could hear were those of people crying and fanning themselves with the programs from the funeral. From the corner of his eye, he could see Dick staring at Nora's casket and fighting the tremble in his jaw, his breathing irregular and ragged. He reached to put his arm around him and Dick subtly rolled his shoulders in an attempt to keep Bruce from offering any comfort. It was then he realized Dick was trying to not to lose it completely and he drew his arm back. He felt Dick glance at him and Bruce nodded in understanding. He clasped his hands in his lap and Dick mirrored that action, several tears appearing from beneath his sunglasses.

Fifteen minutes later, Father Thomas began drawing the service to a close.

"...and we commit this body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

Bruce caught the way Dick's face contorted in pain at those words, wounding him in a way only death can. Dick sniffed softly and bit his bottom lip, watching as Nora's casket was lowered into the ground. Mourners began tossing flowers and handfuls of dirt on top of the casket as they filed past and Dick remained motionless, save for the tears on his cheeks.

Only after everyone left did Dick remove his sunglasses, his blue eyes red and teary. Bruce offered his support again, putting a strong arm around Dick's shoulders. This time Dick leaned into him and Bruce felt his heart break as his son finally allowed himself to grieve. He felt Dick's shoulders shake, his fingers gripping Bruce's jacket tightly as he sobbed against his chest.

* * *

Present

Dick sighed and glanced out at the rest of the cemetery.

"At least you have a nice spot here, where you can see everything. And my parents are right over there," he gestured over his shoulder with his thumb, "so you won't be alone." He grew quiet as the wind gusted slightly and brought with it a hint of the autumn chill that was to come. He whipped his head around when he heard a throat clearing quietly.

"Superboy, what are you doing here?" Dick made no move to stand, choosing to stay seated next to Nora.

"You didn't tell anyone where you were going. We were a little worried, so I followed you when I heard you leave." He glanced at Dick, then at the headstone. He tilted his head, as if asking for permission to approach the two of them. Dick nodded in reply, standing up and taking a seat on the bench again. Superboy sat down next to him and studied the headstone. They sat in amiable silence for a few minutes until Superboy spoke.

"Does everyone talk to the dead when they come to a cemetery?"

Dick thought for a moment before answering. "I wouldn't say everyone does, but I think a lot of people do."

"Why?"

Dick shrugged. "I don't know. I like to think they can hear me; it makes it hurt a little less because it feels like they're still around somewhere."

"That makes sense," Superboy said. He looked around and sighed deeply. "I like it here, it's peaceful."

Dick nodded in agreement.

"You know," Superboy continued, "if you need time alone for this kind of thing, all you have to do is ask." He glanced at the headstone, then at Dick. "You don't have to hide it. It doesn't mean you're weak. Just means you're hurting."

"Thanks. I'll remember that." Dick glanced up at Nora's headstone, his vision becoming slightly blurry with tears as a wave of sadness threatened to drown him.

"I'm going to head back. I'll let everyone know you're okay." Superboy stood, but hesitated when he didn't get an answer. "You'll be okay, right?"All Dick could manage was a nod in response; he was grateful Superboy wasn't much for talking or asking a lot of questions. He gave Dick a half-smile and stood, glancing at Nora's headstone once more before he walked away.

He felt a single tear fall from his eye and didn't bother to wipe it away as a slight smile threatened to make an appearance. "Okay, I get it, Nora. Message received; I'll quit moping. Although your choice for the messenger was unexpected."

* * *

Two Years Ago

Dick walked into the science classroom and took a seat near the front. It was the second class of the new school year and he was already bored. He took a notebook from his backpack and plucked his pen from his jacket pocket, sketching on the back cover while waiting for the bell to ring. He glanced up when someone sat down beside him. He didn't recognize her, but he smiled politely. She held out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Nora. Nice to meet you." She was grinning from ear to ear. Dick took her hand and shook it.

"I'm Dick, nice to..."

"You're Dick Grayson, right?" She leaned her chin on her hand, her hazel eyes sparkling with excitement.

Dick nodded warily.

"I saw you perform at the circus here in Gotham a few years back. You were amazing!"

He couldn't help but smile at her infectious grin. "That was me, yeah."

She brushed an unruly chocolate curl back from her face and continued. "I recognized you in the hallway a few minutes ago. I was so excited to see you when I walked in."

Dick's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Why?"

"I saw you do that quadruple somersault. That was so cool! I was hoping I would be able to tell you that someday."

He sat back in his chair, not having a clue as to what to say. Other kids started filing in, taking seats around them. He turned back to Nora, who was also doodling in her notebook. The teacher came in and immediately started firing off questions about the solar system.

"Mr. Grayson, what is the largest moon currently orbiting Saturn?"

The question caught him off-guard and he stammered for an answer. When the teacher turned his back, Nora flashed a piece of paper at him with the answer written on it.

"Titan?"

"Correct!"

He flashed Nora a grateful smile and she scribbled another note down before holding her notebook up again.

_No problem. That's what best friends are for._

Dick read the sentence twice before looking up at her and smiling. He opened his notebook and started writing, carefully glancing at the teacher before showing her.

_What if I'm not in the market for one?_

Nora quickly scribbled another note.

_Too bad. You're stuck with me._

He stifled a laugh and wrote one last time, flipping up his notebook.

_I think I can handle that._


	6. It Happened On A Thursday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quote for this chapter:
> 
> 'Tis not enough to help the feeble up, but to support them after. -Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is also a bit darker and more serious- I don't take addiction lightly, so I thought a warning was appropriate. But if you're at all familiar with Roy Harper, a piece about his addiction won't surprise you.

It was just after three-thirty on a Thursday morning in April when it happened.

It was darker than normal that morning, as the storm clouds from the thunderstorm that had just passed through still rolled low in the sky above. The pouring rain had slowed to a light sprinkle; a few weak bolts of lightning still flashed every few seconds and the faint rumble of thunder still echoed in the distance. The reflections of traffic lights and tail lights glittered on the wet asphalt, giving everything a sleepy, dreamy look. Roy flipped up the visor on his helmet to let the cold, crisp air caress his tired face. The engine of his motorcycle was quiet as he smoothly wove between the few cars on the road at that time of day, eager to crawl into a warm, dry bed. He slowed to a stop at the red light on the corner of Washington Avenue and Elm Street, rolling his eyes at the fact he had to stop and he was the only one at the intersection.

While he waited he glanced up at the trees lining the streets. The recent arrival of spring had coaxed the leaves from their hiding places and now the trees were a hazy green as they filled in the empty branches. He had always loved spring and the cliché that it was a fresh start, whether you were the maple tree on the corner to his right, the flowers pushing their way up from the ground into the sun or the tired hero on the motorcycle who so desperately needed a new outlook on life.

The light turned green and he twisted the throttle, slowly accelerating through the intersection. The high-pitched scream of brakes barely registered in his head as Roy felt something slam into his right side, throwing him into the air. It wasn't the feeling of going airborne that surprised him the most. It was the strange sound he heard when whatever it was struck him; it was an unnerving sound and it seemed very out of place. It resembled the sharp crack of a baseball making contact with a wooden bat, a sound he had been familiar with once upon a time. Strange he would remember that, all things considered.

He landed in the gutter on the other side of the intersection, his helmet striking the curb. It cracked in half upon impact and everything went white. Through his helmet he could hear a car door slam and footsteps striking the pavement, the sound getting louder as whoever it was got closer. Roy glanced down at his legs and fought the pull of unconsciousness just long enough to confirm that the sound he thought had been a bat hitting a baseball was actually the sound of his femur snapping, judging by the nausea-inducing sight of his right thigh.

His eyes rolled back into his head and he let himself sink into unconsciousness as the wail of sirens shattered the early-morning silence.

* * *

The beeping of a heart monitor greeted him when he woke up in the emergency room. Absently he thought it funny how his brain seemed to throb painfully in time to the sound. He made the mistake of opening his eyes, the bright light causing pain to explode in his head. With a groan he tried to turn his head only to find that he couldn't.

"Mister Harper? Roy? Are you with me?"

He felt strong fingers pry his right eye open, another sharp pain stabbing into his head as a light was pointed directly at his pupil. He could feel nausea starting to take hold as the pain ratcheted upward.

"His pupils are dilated. Most likely a concussion," the same voice said. "Roy? Can you speak?"

"Get that damn light out of my eyes," he groaned. "I can't see." The relief was instantaneous as the lights were shifted elsewhere, the darkness dulling the pain somewhat.

"Do you remember what happened?"

He had enough sense not to try and nod. "Accident."

"Yes, you were in an accident. And I have to say, you had fate on your side here."

Roy felt the pinch of a needle being inserted into his left arm. He relaxed as the pain medication started taking hold. "Why?"

"For one, the motorcycle jacket you were wearing had Kevlar inserts. We don't see many racing jackets but you're smart for wearing one. Plus you were wearing a helmet. That alone saved your life since your head hit the curb when you landed." He heard someone rush in and then he heard the sound of x-ray film being slid into the viewer. "The impact broke your helmet in two." He stopped a moment and his voice continued from across the room. "And because you take such good care of your body your injuries are minor when you consider the circumstances."

Now that he wasn't in pain Roy's sarcasm chose to make its presence known.

"Aside from my leg being mangled, you mean? Seems pretty serious to me since legs don't bend that way." He couldn't help the drunken chuckle as whatever it was they gave him fully kicked in. It was _really_ good stuff.

A nurse stifled a laugh as she removed the cervical collar. "Doctor, his neck is fine. And so is his sense of humor, apparently."

"I'm glad you're not in pain right now, Roy. And yes, your leg is badly broken. But it will heal just fine considering it was a clean break. The muscles in your thigh pulled things a bit out of place, which tends to happen. We're going to take you up to surgery now to insert a metal rod into your leg. You won't need a cast."

"Whatever," Roy replied, his head rolling to the side.

At this point he couldn't have cared any less. It was a nice feeling, really, not having the ability to give a damn. He could get used to that.

* * *

"Hey, I think he's waking up now."

The voice was barely a whisper, but Roy would have recognized it anywhere, even through the excruciating pain that currently consumed him.

Wally West.

"I'll go get a nurse," another voice said quietly.

Dick.

"Roy? Dick went to go get a nurse. They wanted to know when you woke up," Wally said, keeping his voice low. "I'm sure they'll bring you something for your pain."

He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and managed to open his eyes. The smaller redhead was staring at him, concern clearly visible on his face.

"Ollie just left a few minutes ago to go and get coffee. He should be back soon."

Roy pretended he didn't hear Wally's comment. He pretended he didn't wish Ollie were here right now, despite Wally being one of his best friends. Despite the physical pain he was currently in, he couldn't imagine how it would have felt to wake up alone. If he'd had the presence of mind to be honest with himself, he would have admitted he was relieved he _wasn't_ alone. He looked around the room, trying to distract himself until the nurse got there. The blinds were drawn, the TV was off and there was a potted plant sitting on the bedside table. Wally noticed him staring at it.

"We bought that in the gift shop down in the lobby. Apparently plants help people heal faster," Wally explained.

"Thanks," Roy answered, trying to muster a smile. It resembled more of a grimace.

"Where is the nurse?" Wally muttered. "Honestly.."

The awkward silence was broken as a nurse rushed into the room carrying a syringe.

"Here you go, young man. This will help." She smoothly eased the syringe into the port taped to the back of Roy's hand. It stung a bit at first, but the stinging gave way to warmth as it spread up his arm. The nurse smiled kindly as she disposed of the syringe in the bin and left the room.

Wally chuckled. "Wow, Roy. That must be some powerful stuff considering how quickly it's working."

Roy savored the numbness that spread through him.

"You have no idea."

* * *

He was _so_ tired of being followed around and babied. First it was the nurses checking in every five minutes asking if he needed anything, despite the fact he never even touched his call button. When the nurses weren't stalking him, Wally and Dick were. And even though he knew they meant well, they just didn't understand he wanted to be alone. Today they were sitting on the empty bed on the other side of the room arguing over who was better at picking up girls.

"Nuh uh. No way. Remember my date with Vanessa? She was way hotter than that chick you lusted after," Wally said, elbowing Dick in the ribs. Dick shook his head.

"Nope. No way was she hotter than Jessica. It's not even close!"

Roy clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. He would have left the room if they hadn't moved his crutches away from the bed. He couldn't stand it anymore.

"Okay, both of you lose. I'm better at picking up girls, end of story. Remember Julia?"

They both stopped and stared at him, mouths hanging open.

"Dude, he's right. She was SO hot!" Wally replied, looking at Dick.

"I guess, yeah. But I still come in second."

With a frustrated groan, Roy tried tuning them out. When that didn't work he resorted to cheating. He used his call button to get a nurse. Alicia was on duty this afternoon and she had a bit of a crush on him. She came rushing in about thirty seconds later.

"Roy, what do you need?"

He gestured to the arguing teens with his head. She nodded in reply, giving him a knowing wink.

"Alright, guys, it's time to go. Roy has an appointment with his physical therapist."

"Aww, come on, Alicia! Just a few more minutes?" Wally pleaded. "We want to stay now that you're here."

She shook her head. "Nope. Let's go, Roy has to get ready."

They looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Wally left first, giving Roy a wave as he left the room. Dick just looked at him, a clever smirk on his face.

"What a cheap shot, dude. Calling Alicia? That's just cold." With a laugh, he disappeared and followed Wally. Alicia sat down on the foot of the bed.

"Was there anything else you needed?"

Roy shook his head. "No, just the quiet." Alicia nodded and left.

He sighed and looked down at his leg. It was going to take months for it to heal. Sure, the break had been a clean one, but he still had a metal rod inserted into his femur. While thankfully he wasn't in a cast from the waist down, the metal screws attached to the rod were a sight to see. It weirded him out to see the slight bumps under his skin, knowing those screws would have to come out eventually. It beat the alternative. He studied the cards and flowers on the table beside the bed. There was the plant from Dick and Wally, a small cactus from Megan and even an African violet from Artemis. He picked up the card from Ollie.

" _Get well soon, Roy! I'm glad you're ok!"_

He flipped the card across the room like a Frisbee, watching with childish satisfaction as it hit the wall and ricocheted into the trash can. What was supposed to be a quick run for coffee turned out to be a dash for the parking lot. Ollie never came back that first day he was awake. Dick somehow had picked up on the fact that Roy wished Ollie had come to visit him. Sure, he was the one who had cut ties with Green Arrow, it hadn't been the other way around, but it didn't mean he wanted to cut ties with Ollie. After all, after the death of his actual father, Ollie had raised him as if he were his own.

Dick told him yesterday that Ollie just didn't know how to react to Roy getting hurt so severely. Roy asked him how this was any different from the times he got his ass kicked by any number of villains. Dick's answer had been a good one.

" _Because, it's different. You were Speedy when you got hurt, that was part of the gig. This time you were just being Roy, you weren't being a hero. You were riding your motorcycle home. It scared him when he realized how easily he could lose you, I guess."_

God, did he **hate** it when Dick made points like that. Roy would never admit he needed anybody. He was as independent as they come. Red Arrow was a force to be reckoned with. And now it would be nearly six months until he would be able to go on patrol again. Six months of just being **Roy**. He started to panic a little when he realized he didn't know how to do that anymore, just be Roy, without being Speedy or Red Arrow. He pushed the call button and Alicia came running.

"Can I have something for my leg?"

She gave a sympathetic nod and turned to go back to the nurses' station. She reappeared a moment later with two pills and a cup of juice. He must have been visibly disappointed because she noticed.

"I'm sorry, Roy. Your doctor wants to get you onto something with a little less kick."

He took the juice and swallowed the pills. "That's fine, I get it. This should help." He forced a polite smile and she turned around and left.

With a grimace, he shifted to make himself comfortable as the pills started to work. He noticed his reflection in the mirror by the sink. The bruises marring his face when he arrived had started to fade, blue and purple giving way to yellow and green. He couldn't get over the haunted look in his eyes, though, and looked away. Whatever she gave him was still potent enough to turn the overwhelming sense of panic and despair dancing around in his chest to a dull, lifeless ache. It would have to do.

* * *

A few days later he was back in his apartment hobbling around in his tiny kitchen on one crutch, trying to get a glass of water. He had just finished lifting some weights to work on his upper body since his lower body was practically useless right now. He heard his phone beep again, alerting him to another missed call. He picked up the device.

_One missed call: Wally._

He tossed the phone back onto the counter, noticing the orange prescription bottle next to his antibiotics. He hadn't been taking the pain medication for a few reasons. One, his leg wasn't really all that bothersome; it didn't hurt enough to take something so strong so he'd been relying on over-the-counter pain medication. Two, the panic and despair he'd felt while he had been in the hospital had dissipated some after he'd been able to go home. The comfort of being home was disappearing quickly, though, as he had way too much time to think about the fact he was just Roy Harper right now. He thought about his bow, gathering dust in the closet, and picked up the bottle of pills as the anxiety fluttered and stirred in his chest.

He couldn't be Red Arrow right now. He also didn't remember how to be Roy, either. He grabbed the bottle and tapped two pills into his hand, dry-swallowing them. Being numb seemed like the best option until he figured out something else.

* * *

Three weeks had passed and Roy had successfully managed to avoid anyone and everyone who cared about him, even Dick. So when Dick showed up unannounced outside his door that Monday morning, Roy was more than a bit surprised. And to his amazement he realized he was irritated, too.

"What are you doing here?"

Dick brushed past Roy and his crutch, taking a seat in the kitchen. "It's a school holiday, so I'm off. I came to have lunch with you."

Roy bit back his sarcastic reply, taking a deep, slow breath before he turned around and limped back to the kitchen.

"It would have been nice if you'd have called first," he said, sitting down across from Dick.

"You wouldn't have answered anyway," he replied, shooting Roy a look. "So what's new?"

"Other than the fact I now have a metal rod in my leg and can't go on patrol? Absolutely nothing." His reply was full of contempt and snark, neither of which Dick felt were directed at him.

Dick took a bite of his sandwich, chewing thoughtfully for a moment. He swallowed and looked at his friend, studying him. "I can see why that would bother you. You've never liked sitting still."

"Okay, so, now that you've checked on me to confirm for the others that I'm still alive, you can go. I'm fine." He stood up and shouldered his crutch. "Really."

He made his way down the short hallway to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He rolled his eyes when he heard footsteps approaching the door.

"You know, Roy, I've been in your shoes plenty of times. Remember when I blew out my knee with Bane a while back? I know what it's like. And I didn't sit around moping all day. So when you decide to stop being an ass, give me a call."

The footsteps retreated and the door to his apartment shut quietly. Roy reached for the orange bottle and took three pills this time. He rattled the bottle. There were only two left. He needed a refill.

* * *

He managed to get the first refill on the prescription by telling his orthopedic surgeon he over-did it on his physical therapy. He got lucky with the second refill, somehow managing to convince the pharmacy and his doctor that the bottle was stolen from his backpack while he was in class. They flat-out denied the third refill, telling him that by now, the pain should be well-managed with ibuprofen or acetaminophen. He tried changing pharmacies but that failed miserably. And Roy was fairly certain he was no longer welcome at any CVS Pharmacy after the stunt he'd pulled yesterday.

He gripped the bottle so hard it cracked, the two remaining pills bouncing to the floor and coming to a stop beneath the refrigerator.

"Damn it!"

He stood up quickly, knocking his chair over in the process. With an angry shove he moved the refrigerator from its place against the wall and dropped to his hands and knees, his leg protesting the sudden, jarring movement. His fingers frantically flicked through the dust and dirt, quickly finding the two pills. He blew the dust away and stood, limping over to the sink for a glass of water. He noticed his hands trembling as he waited for the glass to fill.

The relief was immediate as he drained the glass, the very thought at another high calming him considerably. Roy made his way to the bedroom, sitting down on the edge of his bed. He leaned forward, cradling his head in his hands, waiting for the high to come. When it did he leaned back, staring at the ceiling. The anxiousness, the anger, it all faded and gave way to the now-familiar euphoria as the chemicals entered his bloodstream. He was finally able to think clearly. It hit him when he saw his costume hanging in the back of his closet, the boots peeking out from beneath a pair of jeans. A grin worked its way across his face for the first time in weeks.

* * *

The bottles rattled as he emptied the bag onto his kitchen counter. His hands were shaking terribly, but not from the withdrawal. But from the adrenaline. And the pain. The rain was pounding against the rooftop, drowning out the sound of his heartbeat in his ears. Breaking into the pharmacy hadn't been difficult. Climbing back out the way he came in, however, was absolute murder on his leg. He knew exactly where he needed to look to get what he wanted once he got in. He had disconnected the security cameras and disabled the alarm. The rain, while getting him into this mess in the first place, had really come in handy tonight. No one had seen him break in and no one had seen him leave. He opened one of the bottles, shaking four pills into his hand.

 _Two for the leg, two for everything else_.

Not bothering with water he swallowed them, shoving the rest of the bottles in the silverware drawer. He leaned against the doorframe a moment, waiting for the pills to take the edge off the pain in his leg. His cell phone buzzed from his pocket with a new text message. He ignored it, stumbling to the bathroom for a hot shower.

_New Message_

_Dick: Tell me that wasn't you._

* * *

Roy had stopped going to class two weeks ago, not even bothering to keep up appearances. He spent his time either in bed or on the couch, too preoccupied with timing the high just right so he wouldn't actually start to come down at all. Tonight he'd had to increase his dose. The usual three or four pills were no longer enough. He woke up several hours later, his apartment dark and quiet, except for the sound of a toilet flushing.

He sat up quickly, the room spinning and tilting, and staggered to the bathroom. Dick stood in front of the toilet pouring pills into the bowl. His cape fluttered slightly as he reached for the last bottle, gloved fingers popping the lid off the top.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Dick didn't look up and poured the pills into the toilet.

"Something I should have done a long time ago." He flushed and watched as they disappeared before he finally looked up, studying Roy. Roy could see the hurt behind the domino mask.

"You know I'll just find more, right?"

Dick's young face fell, the determination disappearing. "Then I'll just have to continue throwing them away." He tried to push past Roy, but Roy held firm.

"You had no right to do this," Roy spat, anger coiling the muscles in his shoulders, drawing them up. Dick looked up at him and glared.

"I had every RIGHT to do this, Roy! You're my friend! We look out for each other!" He was inches from Roy, now, backing him up into the hallway. Roy flinched when his back hit the wall. "I'm not going to let you do this, Roy. I can't. I won't."

Roy searched his friend's face, trying to figure out why he even cared. All he saw, or so he thought, was pity.

"I don't want your pity, **Dick** ," he said, his voice low and sharp. "You have no idea what it's been like.." He stalked foward, backing Dick down the hallway. Dick gave him a hard shove.

" _What_ did you just say? I was laid up for WEEKS while my knee recovered. Sure, it might not have been as painful as your leg, but I get where you're coming from, Roy! Come on, you should know me better than that."

Dick relaxed a bit when Roy didn't say anything for a moment and he incorrectly assumed Roy had given up the argument. It made the punch Roy threw his way all the more painful. Roy's right fist connected with his jaw, sending him crashing to the floor. He towered over the boy, his friend, and glared.

"Don't you even dare to pretend to know what this is like. You had a support system. You had Bruce. And Alfred. And Wally. Hell, you even had Ollie stopping by to visit you," he seethed, leaning over to grip his leg. "You. Have. NO. Idea."

Dick rubbed his jaw, secretly grateful Roy wasn't in top form. He climbed to his feet, shoulders tensed with anger.

"Have you heard anything I've said? This is't you, Roy! It's NOT. YOU!"

Roy lunged, but Dick tripped him and wrestled him down to the floor, pinning Roy's arms behind his back, kneeling on the back of his leg.

"AH! Dick.. that hurts.."

Dick ground his knee down harder. "Good! You want to throw yourself a pity party? Do it some other time. You talk about having no support system. Have you even **looked** at your phone lately? Wally, Artemis and I have been calling and texting constantly over the last three months. We've even dropped by, but you won't answer the door. Ollie stopped by two days ago and you were too stoned to notice!"

He let Roy go, watching as he rolled over slowly, clutching his leg.

"Ollie was here? When?"

Dick rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"You're lucky I'm the one who found you. I was tempted to call Ollie, but I couldn't bear to put him through this." He stood and turned to leave. "If you want to throw this away, I won't stop you again. But I had to at least try and help you."

He looked down at Roy, who was sitting on the floor, rubbing his aching leg.

"If you want or need help? Just answer your phone sometime."

The sharp bang of the door slamming behind Dick startled Roy. He'd seriously messed up this time.

* * *

Ollie was sitting in his study, reading up on advancements in archery equipment when his phone rang. He picked it up and looking at the screen, his thumb hesitating.

It was Roy.

He almost didn't answer, but based on what Dick had told him earlier, he thought better of it.

_"Ollie? It's Dick."_

_"What did you find out?"_

_"Well, I'm not sure it worked, but, if he calls you? Please answer your phone, ok?"_

With a shaky sigh, Ollie answered.

"Ollie?"

"Hello, Roy." He kept his tone neutral.

"Ollie I.. I need help."

Ollie smiled warmly and set his book down.

"I'm glad you asked, kid. What do you need?"


	7. Leading By Example

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quote for this chapter:
> 
> A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. -John C. Maxwell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I borrowed the name of the facility at Fort Detrick, MD.

_Present_

Thunder rumbled quietly in the distance as the torrential downpour continued. Robin sat motionless on the rooftop, crouched on a ledge atop the Wayne Tech building in Philidelphia, watching the streets below through a pair of high-powered binoculars. Rain ran from the tips of his dark hair, trickling down his face off the end of his nose, his lips and his chin. His cape was drawn tightly around him, both to keep him dry and to help him blend with the shadows and the architecture. Sometimes, in situations like this, doing surveillance work out in the rain? He _really_ wished he had a hood.

 _Note to self,_ he thought wryly _, ask Alfred about a hood._

He continued scanning the street and listening to the repetitive _pitter-patter_ of the rain pelting the rooftop next to him. The rain was warm, even by June's standards, but if you sat out in it long enough, it would chill you eventually. He shook his head, scattering more droplets of rain from his hair. He'd been up on that roof for four hours now, watching the building across the street, about eight stories down. It was a very unassuming building, perfect for keeping a pair of doctors hostage. And so far, no one had left, turned on a light or moved at all. Nothing.

However, the minute the bells in the clock tower on the building across the street behind him chimed five o'clock, the doors of the businesses along the street opened and people rushed out into the rain, frantically shaking open their umbrellas. And for the first time all afternoon, Robin smiled. He heard a rustle on the roof and Kid Flash came to a halt next to him, spraying his arm with gravel.

"Hey, KF."

"See anything yet?" Wally sat down on the ledge next to him, dangling his long legs over the edge. Robin shook his head.

"Nothing that we'd be interested in, no. I think they moved the doctors already, long before I got here."

"Then what are you smiling at? You can't possibly enjoy being out in the rain." He frowned in disgust, shaking his arm and watching the rain drops scatter from the black fabric. "I hate being outside on days like today. I'd much rather be inside watching a movie or something."

Robin shrugged, his masked eyes scanning the building across the way again. "I don't know. I like days like this, being out in the rain. I like the smell, the sound as it hits the ground. And I think it actually affects people."

Wally whipped his head around and gawked at Robin. "It's only rain." Robin smiled and pointed down at the busy street below.

"Look. People are sharing their umbrellas, holding doors open for others. See?" He handed the binoculars to Wally.

They watched as a young woman held a door open for an elderly man, stretching her arm to shield him from the rain with her umbrella. They were both smiling as she ushered him in the door.

"Yeah, I guess I see your point. However, back to the matter at _hand_ ," he emphasized, nodding in the direction of the building Robin was watching, "you think they moved the doctors? When?"

"I dunno. But there's been no activity there all day. Artemis didn't see a thing before I got here, and I haven't seen a thing since. We should meet back with the group." He un-cocooned himself from his cape and stood up, ruffling a hand through his hair to get rid of more water. They turned and headed to the opposite side of the roof, away from the busy street.

"Sure, but two questions first. One, have you been sitting that way all day? Crouched down like that?"

Robin looked at him, arching an eyebrow. "Yeah, why?"

"How do you _do_ that? Don't your legs get tired or anything?"

Robin shook his head. "Nope. Being Batman's partner, the ability to lurk and a having ridiculous tolerance for sitting still are requirements. Next question."

"And I noticed you're still dry," Wally said, wrinkling his nose. "I take it your cape is waterproof?"

This time, Robin flat-out grinned. "Yep, same with the suit."

"That explains why you enjoy being out in the rain, then. That is so not fair," he grumbled, following Robin to the fire escape. "I'm absolutely soaked."

* * *

_One Week Earlier_

Artemis arrived at the cave late that Thursday night hoping to have some time to herself to train or unwind. This whole transition to a new school hadn't been nearly as easy as she hoped it would be, and the heavy backpack she lugged home every night was proof they took their academics seriously. The days of her procrastinating and still managing to get decent grades were over. Now she actually had to study. With a weary sigh she dropped her backpack on the floor in the kitchen, her stomach grumbling loudly. She and her biology lab partner had worked on their project straight through lunch to avoid having to work on it over the weekend, and she hadn't had a chance to eat much today. While she waited for her soup to heat she sat at the counter, shoulders slumped and her hands wrapped around a mug of hot tea.

"Artemis?"

She smiled at Kaldur's voice and turned, seeing him standing in the doorway with a smile. "Hey, Kaldur. What are you doing here so late?"

He glanced up at the clock and shrugged slightly. "I could ask you the same thing, with you being here at nearly ten o'clock." He walked around the center island, leaning his elbows down on the counter directly across from her, noticing her somewhat frazzled appearance. "Is everything alright?"

She nodded, taking a drink of her tea. "Everything's fine. After three and a half hours of homework I needed a chance to unwind. I was planning on recalibrating my bow after I'm done eating." She took another drink and looked at him. "Everything okay with you?"

It was his turn to nod as he straightened, crossing his arms over his chest and stepping back to lean against the sink behind him. "Yes, everything is fine. I had been working on a few things for Robin and Red Arrow when I heard you come in."

"Red Arrow? What did he need?" Artemis stood and put her empty mug in the sink next to him, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. "I thought he was working solo, since he's 'Mr. I don't need a team'." Kaldur chuckled quietly, noticing the slight hint of amusement in her voice.

"He needed me to look up some information for him about a suspect he was pursuing."

Artemis stirred her soup and leaned to reach for a bowl when Kaldur handed her one. She smiled in thanks and ladled soup into the bowl. "You seem to have something on your mind."

Kaldur smiled again. "I do. While I was helping Red Arrow earlier, I got a message from Robin about a kidnapping. I was researching that and was wondering if you would like to help me."

"Sure, love to." She picked up her soup and gestured to the computer room. "What do you have so far?" He pushed the door open and held it for her, following her out of the kitchen.

"Two doctors were kidnapped four days ago and no one has heard from them since."

"Why does Robin think we should handle this?"

"They were working for the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center." Kaldur sat down in the chair in front of the computer, pulling up the screens he had been working in. Artemis stood behind him, stirring her soup and reading Kaldur's notes on the monitor to his right.

"Who would try kidnap two doctors from there?"

Kaldur spun his chair around to face her. "That is what we need to find out. And soon."

She eyed him curiously. "Why? Is there a ransom demand?"

He shook his head. "No. But both doctors specialized in biological warfare and were working at Fort Detrick, in Maryland."

"Working on what, exactly?"

"From what Robin found, we believe they were trying to find a way to counteract the Venom compound. According to the data Red Arrow sent me.."

"Wait. I thought you said Robin told you about this? What does Red Arrow have to do with it?"

"Yes, Robin is the one who brought this to me. But Red Arrow tracked Bane to Panama and discovered they were trying to make another version of Venom. They didn't have enough to reconstruct the original after what happened in Santa Prisca."

"So if they have the doctors who were making the cure for the original, they'll know how to make Venom."

"Exactly."

Artemis turned to the keyboard in front of her and flexed her fingers. "Let's get started."

* * *

_Present_

Wally and Robin met the rest of the group at their rendezvous point on the outskirts of the city. Superboy and Kaldur were talking, both of them frowning slightly. Artemis was sitting on the ramp of the bioship, head cradled in her hands, and Megan was hovering nearby, wringing her hands together.

"Uh, hey guys. What's going on?" Wally eyed his teammates, puzzled at their down-trodden expressions. Artemis looked at Robin, who subtly shook his head.

"After sitting on that rainy rooftop all morning, I saw absolutely nothing. Robin, you saw absolutely nothing," she said, clenching her jaw to control her frustration. "Superboy, Kid Flash and Aqualad found nothing and guess what M'Gann found?"

Wally, smiling, glanced sideways at Robin as he spoke up. "One-Eyed Willie?"

Artemis snapped her head up and gasped. "KF! What the hell? Why would you say something like that? Gross!"

Robin shook his head and grinned, raising his hands and stepping aside. "I'm not getting involved in this one. You're on your own, KF."

Wally looked at Artemis, who narrowed her eyes. Then he realized what she _thought_ he'd meant and he smiled devilishly. "What? You've never seen _Goonies_? The group of kids looking for the **pirate** named One-Eyed Willie and his treasure?" Artemis didn't say a word, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink, so he kept teasing. "What did _you_ think I meant, Artemis?"

She glared at his smirk and waved her hand dismissively. "Nothing."

Megan chose to chime in, looking between the two of them quizzically. "What did you mean, Artemis? What's a one-eyed.."

"It's not important M'Gann, it was just a misunderstanding," Superboy interrupted, putting a hand on her shoulder and trying not to smile at the realization she was the only one who wasn't in on the joke. "I'll explain it to you some other time."

Kaldur cleared his throat, trying to get the team to focus. "We need to refocus our efforts on surveillance. Choose another location nearby, perhaps."

Artemis stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, her annoyance bubbling over. "More surveillance? We've been here for two days and haven't found anything useful. So tell me, where do we go from here? We're right back where we started."

"Whoa, Artemis. Calm down, okay? We'll find them," Wally said, approaching her carefully. "At least we know they're not in the city right now." He squeezed her arm reassuringly. "I know you're frustrated. We all are." Her shoulders relaxed slightly and she blew a few strands of hair from her face.

"I know, I know. Sorry." She glanced at Kaldur as she finished, getting a smile in return.

"What do we do now, then? If the doctors aren't here, then where are they?" Superboy spoke up. "We have nothing more to go on."

"Robin, I went through the medical supply database like you asked me to," Megan said. "And none of the compounds or materials from the list Kid Flash gave me were listed as missing. I even went to the distribution centers and the hospital myself. No one reported any burglaries." She produced the printout Robin had given her and handed it to Wally. "It's all accounted for." The two of them began looking over it.

"Then I think we need to expand the search. Philadelphia is where Bane's men were last seen," Kaldur suggested. "They couldn't have gone far."

"You mean we're going to search the same area again? Why?" Superboy asked. "What good will that do?"

"We're at a dead end, Aqualad, let's face it." Artemis sighed. "I hate to say this, but I think we need to ask for some help."

"But I don't believe we are. Think about it, Artemis. They were last seen 22 hours ago at the location you and Robin watched today. And neither of you saw them leave..."

"I'm not sitting up on that roof again. It's pointless," she interrupted. Wally elbowed her and gave her a look.

"We should disguise ourselves and go in," Superboy suggested, ignoring Artemis completely.

"And risk alerting them to the fact we're onto them?" said Artemis. "That's an even worse idea, considering what happened the last time you went undercover. Why don't you just go knock on the door and ask if they're home?" She didn't bother hiding the sarcasm. Superboy looked at her, his jaw clenching.

"It got the job done," he replied. She rolled her eyes and turned away from him, shaking her head.

"Unbelievable," Artemis muttered. Megan backed away from both of them, flustered by all of the arguing, and Kaldur stepped in.

"I know you don't think it's a decent plan, but I think we need to take a closer look. We've got to be missing something here." He glanced between Superboy and Artemis, realizing the team was beginning to unravel. He turned around to see Robin and Wally hovered over the printout Megan gave them, whispering quietly. Wally looked up and a smile appeared on his face.

"We did miss something. Look!" He handed the packet to Kaldur. "Look at the last section on the fourth page."

"I don't understand. There's nothing missing from this report," Kaldur said. "We expected to see a theft of supplies, not an increase in their inventory."

"See, if your entire supply of mexiletine hydrochloride went from several dozen boxes to zero, for example, people would notice," Wally said. "But would you notice if only a few boxes out of several hundred went missing?"

"No, you wouldn't," Kaldur murmured, continuing to look at the inventory numbers. "And it looks like they've been skimming supplies for weeks now."

"Mexi-what? What is that?" Artemis asked.

"Mexiletine hydrochloride. It's used to treat irregular heartbeats," Wally replied. "Since Venom is like a steroid, one of the many nasty side-effects is an irregular heartbeat. It's one of several compounds I noticed an increase in when I went through the hospital's inventory. It looks like they're also trying to counter-balance the side effects of the Venom this time. There was another compound used to delay the metabolization of.."

Artemis held up a hand and nodded. "We know you're a whiz at chemistry, but my brain can't handle that today." She smiled slightly and Wally stopped talking.

He then looked at Robin with a grin and held up a hand. "How did you think to look at the actual order history instead of just the inventory itself?"

He shrugged and gave Wally a high-five. "Because if they're that secretive about everything else, like where they're hiding the doctors and where the lab is, why would they risk exposure by stealing everything they needed all at once?" He opened the compartment on his glove and pulled up his computer before continuing. "When medical supplies dwindle to a certain quantity, they're flagged in the system for re-ordering. If you take everything all at once, it's obvious things are being stolen. And I know that you, being such a chemistry freak, would notice fluctuations in the quantities of certain chemicals, and whether that's normal or not."

"Okay, sometimes you scare me, dude," Wally said, "with your attention to detail and just the weird stuff you know."

"And rattling chemical compounds and their uses off the top of your head _isn't_ weird, KF?"

"Touche."

"Now I need to hack into their records system and see if there's a pattern to when the supply numbers started changing and whose badge was being used to access the supply rooms. Artemis, do you think you can handle a few more hours of surveillance?"

She nodded. "Same place?"

"No, this time you and Miss M watch the hospital. She can help you spot our targets if they come back for more supplies."

"Got it." Artemis and Megan headed back into the bioship, leaving Kaldur and Superboy with Robin and Wally.

"Supey, you and KF head back to where Artemis and I were today." Superboy hesitated.

"But you just said that spot was a bust." Robin nodded and smiled.

"The _location_ was the right one," he said, looking back at his computer screen. "We were just watching the wrong _building_. The building two blocks down from the one we were targeting. It's an empty government building."

"Which would be perfect for building a lab, because of the building security and safety measures, and the power grid. No one would think to check there," Wally said, turning to Superboy. "C'mon, Supey. The girls can drop us off on the way."

The two of them boarded the bioship and it disappeared. Kaldur turned to Robin, watching as he continued typing away, going through records.

"I knew you would lead this team one day, Robin. And now, I think you see it, too."

Robin said nothing, but the smile on his face spoke volumes.

* * *

_One Week Earlier_

"Doctor Adrienne Atkins and Doctor Maxwell Adams were abducted from their homes in Maryland four days ago. The kidnappers made sure to leave their identification badges so they would not be tracked. At this point, the only leads we have were identified by Red Arrow and Robin." Batman stepped back, joining Green Arrow and J'onn, motioning for Robin to step forward.

"Doctor Atkins and Doctor Adams work at the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center in Maryland at Fort Detrick." Robin gestured at the map behind him, showing where the doctors lived and where they worked. "Their current project was finding an antidote for the Venom compound, to reverse its effects."

"Hey, Rob? How did you find out about this?" Artemis studied the maps and looked at him. "This seems like the kind of thing the military would handle on its own."

"Doctor Atkins has a daughter who goes to my school. A team of men in dark suits came and pulled her from our math class," Robin said, a grim smile on his face. "Naturally, I was curious, so I started looking into it."

"I wish I had your computer hacking skills," Wally muttered, biting into a sandwich.

"And do you have any idea where they are now?" Superboy asked. "Where do we even start looking?"

" _Red Arrow, B zero six,"_ announced Roy's arrival, and he stepped from the zeta tube, not wearing his uniform.

"I can answer that question," he said, crossing the width of the room to join the team. "And I can tell you who's behind the kidnapping."

Artemis watched him warily, bristling at the confident smirk on Roy's face. Next to her, she heard Ollie chuckle to himself.

"Nice to see you, Roy."

Roy nodded at Ollie before he spoke. "After the incident at Santa Prisca, I started tracking Bane. Up until a week ago, he was in Panama, laying low, with a group of about two dozen of his lackeys."

Artemis cleared her throat, capturing Roy's attention. He didn't move except to turn his head slightly to face her. "Yeah?

"If that's the case, if Bane is the one behind this, how did he manage to get away from the Justice League? No offense to any of you, but I thought he'd been taken care of after he nearly killed half of this team."

Roy was unable to hide his surprise at the news, and he glanced over at Ollie, Batman and J'onn. "I'm afraid I can't answer that one. I only started tracking him about two weeks ago."

Batman stepped forward. "While Bane was being transported to a secure holding facility, he overpowered Black Canary and escaped. He either had a supply of Venom on his person or someone left it in the transport vehicle for him."

"So that's why Black Canary's been gone lately," Megan said quietly. "Is she okay?"

"Oh, she's fine," Ollie said, addressing Megan's concern. "She's on a mandatory leave period, much like Robin was after he met up with Bane. Standard operating procedure."

"So who do we target, then? Bane or the doctors?" Superboy asked. Roy shrugged a shoulder.

"You can do both, actually." He looked at Robin, who typed a few things into the computer, overlaying Roy's map with Robin's. "Robin and Kaldur tracked the doctors to Philadelphia, and that's where our paths crossed in the first place. I had Kaldur do a little research on Bane for me, and that's when he told me he and Robin were already looking into something."

"So you think Bane and company nabbed the doctors and hauled them off to Philly to make more Venom," Wally asked, looking first at Roy, then at Robin. "Why there?"

"It's the closest city where they could find the supplies to remanufacture Venom," Robin said. "Trying to get the tools and compounds to do that in a smaller city would tip off the authorities, just like it would in Washington, D.C. Philadelphia is the next closest city with a supply chain and the anonymity to get it done."

"Kaldur, Robin, how do you plan cover all the angles here?" Batman asked.

"First we must find the doctors, find out where exactly they're being held. After that it's finding a safe way to evacuate them." Kaldur looked at Robin, who had started typing again. An image of Bane appeared on the large screen above everyone's heads.

"And our other objective is stopping Bane and crew from making and distributing more Venom," Robin said, his voice hardening slightly, "and to stop him from getting away again."

Roy studied him carefully before glancing over at Batman. Batman gave a nearly imperceptible nod, reassuring Roy that Robin could handle it.

"Since you guys are taking this one on, I have another situation I need to look into," Roy added, looking around at everyone. He turned to leave, but stopped for a moment. "Don't underestimate Bane. He'll do whatever it takes to protect his Venom supply," he called over his shoulder. "Be careful."

" _Red Arrow, B, zero, six."_

Wally rubbed his hands together as Roy disappeared and grinned, looking at the rest of the group. "Okay, guys. Let's do this. I've heard Philly Cheese Steaks are to die for."

* * *

_Present_

"Adrienne."

Adrienne Atkins looked up from her microscope and glanced at her counterpart, Dr. Adams. He looked about as disheveled as she felt, with his dark brown hair sticking up every which way and his green dress shirt rolled up his arms, the entire thing torn and wrinkled. He nodded toward the door.

"Our chaperone took his break. We should really try and make a run for it."

"Are you nuts? Remember the last time we tried that? Motion sensors at the exits." She held up her left hand, motioning toward the make-shift bandage on her wrist. "I'm not a fan of rope burns. And I can't imagine you enjoyed your concussion." He absently touched the right side of his head as he approached her lab table.

"We can't stay here, either. You realize the minute we're done making this.. Venom compound, we're through, right? And if they realize that we finished yesterday? Then what?"

Adrienne sighed, removing her glasses and brushing her hair out of her face. "I don't know, Max. I managed to use the rest of the albumin, so that bought us some time, but I'm running out of ideas."

"Well, it was a great idea. If they have nothing to stabilize it, it's unusable. And we have to stop the research until they bring back more."

They both looked toward the door when their heard footsteps approaching, and Max hurried back to his lab station, pretending to make notes in his notebook. Adrienne tucked a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear and leaned down over the microscope, her stomach rolling uneasily as the door opened and a pair of heavy boots crossed the room. She flinched as a box was placed on the table next to her.

"I was told you two needed this to keep working," the guard said, resting a hand on the box. "Now get back to work."

Adrienne looked over at Max, her terrified blue eyes meeting his nervous green ones, as she opened the box. Instead of finding the containers of albumin, there was a note on top of the container of albumin that read:

_Save your work to this flash drive, then fill one of the vials with Venom, the other with the antidote. Destroy the rest. Help is on the way._

She jerked her head around, looking for the guard. He was leaning up against the wall next to the door, watching her intently. Adrienne tilted her head in question and he winked at her. Realizing the guard was either crazy and trying to help them, or was honestly on their side, she acted quickly. She brought the box over to Max, showing him the note. He frowned at her.

"Are you serious? If we get caught, we're dead."

She glared at him, pointing to the note in the box. "Right now, I don't see any other options."

Max shrugged and took the box from her. The flash drive was camouflaged to look like the container of the compound they needed. While he discreetly plugged the laptop he'd been using into the flash drive, Adrienne quickly filled both vials as instructed.

"How do we destroy what we've made so far without it looking like that's what we're doing?" she whispered. Max pointed to the incinerator in the corner.

"Everything we have in here, everything we've been using, can be disposed of in the incinerator. All of it."

Adrienne cringed. "That is so far past the realm of being safe and okay..."

"Do you have any other ideas?"

She shook her head. "I'll finish backing up the data and wipe the laptop's hard drive. You.. just go burn our research."

Her fingers moved quickly over the keyboard, transferring encrypted files to the flash drive. From the corner of her eye she saw Max put their entire supply of Venom and some of the antidote in a cardboard box and bring it to the incinerator, holding her breath as he dropped the box in and shut the door.

She startled at the female voice next to her and turned, seeing a green girl floating in the air next to her.

"Have you finished backing up the data?"

Adrienne stepped back, her mouth opened slightly. "Who are you?"

The redhead smiled and put her feet back on the floor. "I'm Miss Martian, and we're here to help you."

Max joined Adrienne and stared at Megan. "Who's 'we'?"

"That would be me," Wally said, appearing next to Megan. "Kid Flash, at your service. Now let's get the data and the Venom and get out of here. When that guard we took out wakes up? He's going to be a _little_ on the cranky side."

Adrienne retrieved the flash drive and Max grabbed the strongbox with the vials in it, looking at Wally. "Lead the way, Kid. I'd rather not be here when that Bane guy finds out we pulled a fast one on him."

"The four of us are heading up to the roof to get you out of here. We've got someone on the lookout for Bane, just leave him to us."

Max and Adrienne glanced at each other, then at Megan and Wally, before following Megan out of the room and up the stairs. No one noticed the single syringe on the floor under the table.

"Beggars can't be choosers, but I hope these kids can handle it," Max muttered, stepping over a pile of three of Bane's guards, unconscious and tied together.

Three floors down, Robin and Artemis were navigating through the narrow corridors in pursuit of Bane.

"Robin to Aqualad. What's happening on your end?"

"Six guards down, Superboy is handling number seven. Security cameras are all clear, the motion sensors at the exits and stairwells haven't been tripped." There was a pause before he continued. "He's still on the tenth floor somewhere. Be on the lookout."

Robin smiled and turned to face Artemis. "What do you say we introduce you to Bane?"

She shrugged, pulling an arrow from her quiver. "From what I've heard, he seems to have a soft spot for you," she whispered, not bothering to hide her concern. "Are you sure?"

"Even if I weren't, do we really have a choice?" He turned away and continued down the hallway, crouching when he got to the corner. Glancing back to make sure she would cover him, she nodded and he looked around the corner.

Artemis raised her bow and crept up behind Robin. He shook his head. "He's not on this floor. He's gotta be up on twelve, in the lab." He pulled up his computer screen, scanning the building for heat signatures. She peered over his shoulder, pointing at a large, red shape.

"Something tells me that's not a furnace, a server or a regular person. He is _huge_."

"And it's up to the twelfth floor we go." They turned and headed toward the stairs. "Robin to Aqualad. We're heading up to twelve; Bane's in the lab. I've already hacked the motion sensors, so they won't know we're coming."

"We'll meet you there. Almost done here."

They heard Bane before they saw him, his infuriated screams echoing down the hallway to the stairwell.

"I think it's safe to say he found out the Venom is all gone," Artemis muttered.

"Let's hope he didn't have any with him," Robin said, quickly making his way toward the lab. He stopped right outside the door and turned back to her. "He'll bait you, try to make you angry so you slip up and make a mistake. Don't forget that, okay?"

She glanced down at his knee and nodded, thinking about what Wally had told her a few weeks ago, the story of what Robin had put himself through the first time they encountered Bane before she joined the team. She was nervous, but shook her head to refocus and joined him on the other side of the door frame before looking up at him again. "Same goes for you."

He gave a single nod before easing the door open. They rushed into the lab, Artemis with an arrow notched in her bow and Robin with two smoke pellets in his hands.

"Hey, Bane. Long time, no see. Have we come at a bad time?"

Bane slowly turned, his enormous shoulders heaving in anger. "I should have known this was you, little bird. Where's the Venom?" He opened and closed his fists, trying to maintain some semblance of calm.

Artemis relaxed her stance for a moment, pointing to the incinerator in the corner with the tip of her arrow. "I'd check the furnace. Hey, Rob? Does that stuff spoil if it's not refrigerated?"

Robin smiled. "That's a shame, all that Venom, gone to waste. I bet he's pretty displeased about that."

Bane roared, grabbing the nearest lab table and flipping it before changing direction and heading toward her. She re-notched the arrow and fired, the tip of it exploding as it hit his chest. "You'll pay for this," he growled.

"Question for you, Bane. How did you manage to get away from the Justice League? I'm trying to figure out who would want to help you. You don't seem like the team-player type." Robin asked as he side-stepped toward Artemis.

Bane chuckled. "A magician never reveals his secrets, and you don't need to be apart of a team to get help." He ripped off the vest he'd been wearing, revealing a button centered on his chest plate.

"Uh, Artemis?"

"Yeah?"

"You might want to go get the rest of the team." Robin stopped moving and crouched, watching Bane closely.

"Why? What's he doing?" She looked at Robin, then back at Bane, noticing the frightening grin on his face and his large hand hovering over the button on his chest.

"Somebody showed up to this shindig with a party favor, and he didn't bring enough to share."

"Oh, crap."

"Yeah. Mix adrenaline with Venom? Talk about an unfair advantage."

Bane slammed his hand down on the button, sending a large amount of Venom coursing through his veins. "Lucky for me," he spat, "I brought one more dose with me. Care to test out that other knee, now?"

Robin wasted no time and flung both smoke pellets at Bane and retrieved his escrima sticks from his belt. Artemis began firing arrows at him in an attempt to slow him down. Bane charged, forcing Artemis to tuck and roll to avoid him. Robin swung the sticks as hard as he could, hitting Bane's left arm and shoulder as he passed and knocking him off-balance.

"Looks like you didn't learn enough the first time," he said, turning to face Robin. "Remember what happened the last time we did this? How long were you laid up? Two months? Three?"

"It was three and a half, actually, but I learned a few things," Robin said, leaping out of reach of Bane's arms, landing on the table behind him. Bane turned, lunging at him, and Artemis took the opportunity to jump onto his back and knock one of the three infusion lines loose from the back of his head. Before she could climb off him Bane reached back and grabbed her, tossing her across the room. She landed against a large bookcase with a grunt, breaking the shelves and scattering books across the floor.

While Bane's back was turned Robin quickly picked up a syringe from the floor beneath the other table, tucking it in his glove.

Picking up her bow, Bane snapped it in half and turned back to Robin when Artemis didn't get up right away. "So much for having an archer on your team," he sneered. "Looks like it's just you and me again."

"Bring it on," he replied, holding up the escrima sticks. "Two on one wasn't a fair fight, anyway."

Bane stalked across the room, closing the gap between them quickly. From the corner of his eye, Robin watched Artemis come to and try to stand up, her right leg giving way under her weight. She touched her finger to her ear and called for backup, before trying to stand again.

Robin darted to his right, putting himself back between Artemis and Bane. "Relying too much on your Venom, Bane?" He ran at the giant, dropping to the floor and sliding through his legs. He popped up behind Bane and knocked the other infusion tubes loose.

Bane spun and latched onto Robin's arm, squeezing it in his fist. His fist opened, the escrima stick clattered to the ground and he lifted Robin up off the floor, dangling him in front of his face. "The Venom only enhances what you have, _mijo_. It would do you some good, I think." He wrapped his other hand around Robin's neck just as the rest of the team entered the room. "Should we test that theory?"

Wally hooked an arm around her shoulders and the other behind her knees, picking Artemis up and carrying her from the room. "KF, put me down! I can still help!" He shook his head, ignoring her protests and her fists thumping against his chest.

"This isn't turning out like last time," he said, ignoring her protests. He rushed out the door and set her on the stair case and turned to her, his expression serious. "Stay here, okay? If you listen to me once, please let it be this time."

Seeing there was no other option, judging by the look on his face, she sighed and nodded.

Superboy made a move to attack, and Bane dangled Robin five feet above the floor, his legs swaying back and forth. "Come any closer, and I snap his neck."

Superboy froze, as did the rest of the team. He turned to Wally and squeezed Robin's neck for emphais.

"That includes you, Kid. Try anything and you'll see if I'm faster than I look." He looked Robin in the face and grinned, cocking his head slightly. "I know I've asked you this once already, but do you have any last words or advice for your friends here?"

"Yeah. I do," Robin gasped. Bane loosened his grip on his neck to allow Robin to speak.

"Dígame."

"Never underestimate the little guy." The team watched as Robin brought his hands together behind his back, removed the syringe from his glove, and using his thumb, popped the cap off the needle. He plunged the needle into Bane's neck and pressed the plunger, sending its entire contents into Bane's carotid artery.

Bane's grip tightened dangerously around Robin's neck, the muscles spasming and contracting as the antidote began neutralizing the Venom. Robin kicked and swung his legs, trying to get free. Seconds later, he went limp, collapsing in a heap when Bane finally let go and fell to the ground.

"Robin!"

Wally and Megan huddled around him, with Artemis leaning on the door frame. Wally knelt and held two fingers to Robin's neck, sighing in relief when he felt a pulse. He rocked back on his heels and nodded to his teammates.

"Well, that was easier than I thought," Robin coughed, struggling to sit up. "At least this time I can walk out of here on my own."

Wally punched Robin in the arm, not bothering to do it lightly.

"Ouch! Dude, what was that for?" Robin rubbed his shoulder, wincing a little.

"That's for letting Bane, all hopped up on Venom, wrap his gargantuan hand around your NECK!"

"That wasn't part of the plan, I'll have you know. I had the antidote this whole time, but I didn't have a chance to give it to him. I had to improvise."

"Yeah, well, find another way to improvise next time, will you?"

"How did you know it was the antidote and not more Venom?" Artemis asked. She looked at Kaldur, then back at Robin. "You did know it was the antidote before you gave it to him, right?"

Before Robin had a chance to answer, Kaldur reached a hand down, pulling Robin to his feet. "Let's get the Justice League in here so they can take care of Bane."

"And then we can tell Batman about Robin's genius plan to let Bane nearly choke him...OUCH!" Wally jumped back, rubbing his upper arm.

"That's for hitting me first."

* * *

_Three Hours Later_

"The League is very impressed with how you handled yourselves and completed this first mission on your own. From planning to execution, you've all shown how much you've grown as a team. Nice work."

As soon as Batman concluded the debriefing session he disappeared, leaving the team to do as they pleased. For a moment, Robin didn't move from his spot at the table, smiling as he watched Wally help Artemis back to the living room. She was a bit battered, but other than having a few stiff muscles, she was fine. She'd likely never admit she enjoyed having Wally fawn over her and not let her lift a finger.

He laughed a little to himself as he stood, making up his mind to go back to Gotham. He felt a hand on his shoulder as he turned to leave. Kaldur stood behind him, a warm smile on his face.

"We can all see you're ready to lead this team. The role is yours, if you want it," Kaldur said.

Robin smiled and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. "Thanks."

Kaldur nodded and left, leaving Robin alone in the cavernous room. He glanced over his shoulder and grinned.

"I know you're there."

Batman stepped out of the shadows and followed Robin as he made his way toward the zeta tube to go back to Gotham.

"We need to talk more about your improvisation skills," Batman said, looking down at Robin. "I heard about your plan to let Bane nearly strangle you." Batman smirked when he saw Robin's hand move to his neck, touching the bruises there.

"Even the best-laid plans can go astray. I learned that from you, if I remember correctly." They walked in silence for a moment before Batman spoke again.

"And the fact you didn't know for certain what was in the syringe before you injected Bane with its contents?"

"I knew it wasn't Venom- it wasn't green."

"And the thought they had nothing to use to tint the solution to distinguish between the Venom and its antidote never occurred to you?"

"No, it didn't." Robin slowed to a stop, looking up at his partner. "But it should have."

"You're right, it should have. But since there was no hesitation on your part, you felt it was the right choice to make in that situation."

"Right."

"Would you make that decision again, knowing what you know now?"

"I would."

A ghost of a smile briefly appeared on Batman's face. "I thought so." They stopped in front of the zeta tubes and he turned to Robin. "Part of being a leader is being able to make decisions and stand by them. And you demonstrated that tonight."

"I had a great teacher."

"Flattery won't get you out of this one. You're still putting in some extra time in the simulator."

"Hey. It was worth a shot."


	8. A Gift & Snowball Exchange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quote for this chapter:
> 
> At Christmas, all roads lead home. -Marjorie Holmes

It had been a _long_ night.

First, it had been raining. In December. In Rhode Island. While some might say that's not a bad thing, rain in December, because that must mean it's warm, others who had to be out in it had a completely different opinion.

As Robin had muttered, "This is one night I would actually would have preferred to be in Gotham." He shivered slightly as if to further demonstrate his point.

Kid Flash acknowledged his friend with a nod and glanced out the window of the bioship, his breath fogging the glass. The team had been summoned to the water treatment facility in a small city not far from Happy Harbour. Apparently someone was trying to poison the city's water supply. It turned out to be a high school prank and one of the advanced chemistry students had added a simple dye to the water, turning everything a scary shade of red. It took all of forty-five seconds for KF to glance at the water bubbling in the tank, inhale deeply and roll his eyes. He pushed his wet hair away from his face.

"False alarm, guys. It's harmless." He had turned to his teammates, his annoyed expression mirrored in each of their faces. "I have something to neutralize it back at the cave. I'll be right back." He disappeared in a spray of frigid water and left his teammates standing in the rain.

"If we catch whoever did this, I won't be held responsible for my actions," Artemis mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the side of the building. A large droplet of water dripped from the eaves above her, landing in the center of her forehead. Zatanna smiled.

"One look at the scowl you're wearing and I think they'll get the point."

Megan adjusted the hood of her cloak, staring out into the darkness beyond the chain-link fence that surrounded the facility. "I thought Christmas was supposed to be white here on Earth."

Robin, Artemis and Zatanna all turned to look at her, then at each other.

"Hello, random. Where did that come from?" Zatanna asked, quirking an eyebrow. "It's only December ninth."

Megan shrugged and turned around. "I thought it was supposed to snow in December, not rain. If it were snowing right now I think we would all be in a better mood." She cast a look in Connor's direction, noticing his annoyed scowl. He looked up and sighed, his face melting into a smile.

"Normally it does snow this time of year, Miss M," Robin said. "We're having some strange weather this year. I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure we'll have snow by Christmas." He rubbed his hand through his hair in a feeble attempt to dry it.

Kaldur noticed Artemis shivering and put his arm around her shoulders, his thicker skin perfectly suited for the cold, miserable weather. "Kid Flash should be back any moment now and we can get moving," he said quietly, noticing how her shivering began to subside. He smiled softly as she subconsciously moved closer to him in an effort to get warm.

Kid Flash reappeared in much the same way he had vanished, except this time he tried to control the spray of water from his sudden stop.

It _almost_ worked.

"Ugh. KF, come on." Artemis brushed some dirty water and grit from the front of her pants. He looked at her, seeing her shivering beneath Kaldur's arm. Despite the fact she was wearing a heavier green jacket, she was soaking wet and her lips were turning a lovely shade of blue. He frowned, making a mental note to find her something a bit more waterproof to wear. He turned to the enormous tanks behind him, adding the compound to the churning water below.

"There. Done. They'll have to run their water for a while to flush their pipes, but it'll be good to go," KF dusted his hands together. "Stupid AP chem students," he muttered. "They should be forced to go back to intro to chemistry. Only an moron would use.."

"C'mon guys, let's get out of here." Connor took Megan by the hand and started back in the direction of the bioship. Zatanna and Artemis followed, after Artemis gently squeezed Kaldur's arm and smiled.

"Thanks for sharing the warmth, Kal."

KF felt his stomach clench slightly at the sight of her hand on his arm.

"You're welcome." He nodded gently and returned her smile, walking just behind the girls but ahead of Robin and Kid Flash.

Robin looked at Artemis and Zatanna then back to Kid Flash.

"Uh, Earth to KF?" Robin snapped his fingers in front of his face, his gloves flicking water onto his nose.

"Huh?" He brushed the few drops of water from his face. "What?"

"Just admit it already. You like her."

KF bristled immediately, wrinkling his nose. "Pfft. Like? Not hardly. I can't stand her.."

"Uh huh. Keep telling yourself that. Eventually you might just believe it." Robin turned and jogged to catch up to everyone else.

He glared after Robin, at his cape billowing behind him and at his cackle piercing the cold night air. He grinned when he saw Robin stop next to Zatanna, his body language now tense and nervous. Kid Flash grinned, mentally ticking through a list of ways to get Robin back, his favorite option involving mistletoe, some ribbon and a stick.

Christmas pranks were so much fun.

* * *

Megan stood at the stove stirring the hot cocoa while Kaldur reached into the cupboard for some mugs. Robin snuck another handful of the mini-marshmallows and flicked them at Wally, who was sitting across from him.

"Try and get one in my mouth," Wally said, leaning back and grinning. Robin held up his hands, touching his thumbs together to line up his shot. Pinching a marshmallow between his thumb and middle finger, he flicked it into the air and it sailed down, landing on Wally's tongue.

"And it's good!" Zatanna laughed, holding her arms above her head like a football referee.

"Okay, guys, the hot cocoa and apple cider are ready."

Megan began filling mugs and passing them around and Artemis put a platter of candy canes, chocolate kisses, whipped cream and cinnamon on the counter. They all crowded around the platter, trying to get at its contents, and Wally reached around Artemis, putting his hand gently on her shoulder so she knew he was there. Artemis turned to see who was behind her, her face inches from Wally's chest.

"Oh, it's you," she said quietly. She turned back to the counter, grabbed a mug of cider and a candy cane and went to sit at the opposite side of the counter. Wally sat down next to her, watching as she stirred her cider with the candy cane.

"Is that any good?" he asked, peering into the mug.

"It's actually disgusting and tastes terrible," she deadpanned. She bit off a piece of the candy cane and resumed stirring.

"I'll have to try it sometime." Wally looked down at his own mug, watching as the whipped cream and marshmallows slowly melted. He had no spoon to stir the sticky concoction and they were in the drawer everyone was currently standing in front of at the counter. He looked at Artemis again.

"Can I uh.. borrow your candy cane? I didn't grab a spoon."

"I guess. I've already eaten some of it, though." She held it out to him, eyeing him curiously.

"While I'd normally worry about your germs, the cocoa is hot enough to kill any cooties you might try to give me," he replied, plucking the cane from her fingers, unwrapping it completely, and dunking it into his mug, stirring quickly. "So no worries."

Artemis rolled her eyes and smiled into her mug as she took a sip, the cider rapidly warming her chilled body. She hummed quietly and took another sip.

"You sounded like a cat purring just now, you know that?" Wally asked, taking a drink of his cocoa. When Artemis didn't answer he looked at her. Her fingers were wrapped around the ceramic mug, leeching its warmth into her hands. She was leaning on the counter with her elbows, her damp ponytail draped over her shoulder. And she was still shaking slightly.

Wally disappeared and came back with a blanket from his bed, draping it around her shoulders. Artemis startled when she felt the blanket, and relaxed when he began rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm her. After a moment or two, he sat down next to her again and rubbed large circles on her back with one hand, brushing her wet hair away from her neck with the other. Both of them missed the stares from the rest of the group. Robin's jaw actually hung open slightly, Zatanna was grinning from ear to ear, and Kaldur shook his head and smiled, taking a sip of his cider. But before Robin could comment after regaining his composure, Roy, Dinah and Ollie entered the room. And Ollie was wearing a red Santa hat.

"Ho, ho, ho!" he bellowed, rubbing his non-existent Santa belly.

"Do we really have to have this discussion again, Ollie? That's all you said the entire trip here," Roy muttered, leaning a hip against the counter. He acknowledged Kaldur with a nod and Robin with a slight smile.

"You're such a killjoy, Red." Ollie took off the hat and plopped it on Dinah's. She grinned before removing it and putting it on Roy. He tugged the hat off his head and tossed it onto the counter.

"That hat didn't do much for you anyway, GA," Artemis said. "And the beard is pretty sad."

Ollie stroked his goatee, mock hurt on his face. "I guess I can't quit my day job, then."

"So what you are doing here?" Robin asked, looking at all three of them. "Was there a family reunion we didn't know about?"

"No," Dinah laughed. "The Justice League has its annual Christmas party in a few weeks, and since you are all your own team, we thought you should have your own party."

"As long as it doesn't involve wearing ugly sweaters, I'm in," Zatanna said, earning a high-five from Robin.

"Oh! Can we do a gift exchange?" Megan asked. "I've always wanted to do that!"

"What's a gift exchange?"

They all turned to Connor who was sitting on the counter. Judging by the expression on his face he was completely serious.

"Anyone who participates puts their name on a slip of paper and they all go into a hat. Then we all draw names, and you get a gift for the person whose name you draw," Artemis explained. "It can be a lot of fun."

Wally reappeared with a pen and paper and began writing names. "Okay, so we have Artemis, Roy, Zatanna, Robin, Megan, Kaldur, Connor and me." He started tearing the names from the paper. He counted the names and folded all of the pieces of paper, putting them into the Santa hat. "Who's going to draw first?" He grinned and dangled the hat in the air.

Roy was closest so he drew a name and looked at the scrap of paper before handing the hat to Kaldur. He nodded and crumpled the paper in his fist, slipping it into his pocket. "So when is this party going to happen?"

The kitchen erupted into chaos as everyone started talking and suggesting dates. Realizing this was going nowhere Dinah put her pinkies in her mouth and whistled loudly. Immediately the room was silent.

"How about we just plan for two weeks from today, hmm? Right before Christmas, so no one has to worry about school. Sound good?"

There was a chorus of _yes_ 's, _got it_ 's, _I'll be there_ 's and _sure_ 's. Dinah smiled warmly and leaned into Ollie, who put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed.

"And we'll take care of the food so all of you can focus on having fun," Ollie said. "Now. I believe you all have gift-giving to plan so we'll leave you to it." He and Dinah turned to leave when Dinah stopped and turned her head.

"And no trading names, either," she called over her shoulder.

"Oh, come _on_ ,"Wally said. "Where's the fun in that?"

The eight of them stood in silence for a moment, looking at the names they drew and then staring at each other, trying to read body language to get a read on who had whose name.

"Well. This will be fun!" Megan said, smiling broadly. "I can't wait to go shopping!"

Wally glanced at the name on his piece of paper then looked up at Artemis, remembering he couldn't trade names. He balled the paper in his fist and sat down, wondering what he was going to get for the person he drew. He didn't notice the silence around the kitchen as everyone looked at their own scraps of paper and wondered the exact same thing.

* * *

The couple of days leading up to the Christmas party were a special kind of hectic.

Since Ollie told them the catering would be taken care of, they had to decide on decorations. Roy surprised everyone by having a stunning twelve-foot Norway Pine delivered and Artemis had volunteered to decorate it. Megan was in charge of hanging the lights, Zatanna and Kaldur were hanging wreaths and garland, Robin was out buying more lights, Wally was secretly hanging mistletoe and Connor was standing around, ready to lift all things heavy.

Wally was hanging one last cluster of mistletoe above the doorway to the kitchen when he noticed Artemis standing near the tree, hands on her hips and glancing up at the top. Her hair wasn't in its usual ponytail; instead it was braided and laid over one shoulder. She was in jeans and a Gotham Academy t-shirt, and her socks were bright yellow. He felt himself staring, but strangely, he didn't care. He watched as she picked up a box of ornaments Roy had sent over and climbed the ladder to hang them. The ladder gently wobbled beneath her and she paused, finding her center of gravity. She put the box on the small shelf normally reserved for paint trays and one by one, she hung the glass pieces, each one sparkling in the dim light of the tree. As she hung the last one, the ladder wobbled again and Artemis overcompensated, leaning back too far and causing the ladder to tip.

She was going to fall. And there was nothing there to catch her. Wally dropped the bunch of mistletoe and ran to her, skidding to a stop next to the ladder. He caught her and backed out of the way and the ladder tumbled to the floor with a loud crash, startling everyone else. He cradled Artemis, holding her snugly against his chest.

"Artemis, are you alright?" Kaldur picked up the ladder and put it upright. "What happened?"

Without a word Wally lowered his right arm, allowing her to put her feet on the floor and he hesitated with his left hand, leaving it on her back for a moment to steady her. Artemis turned around to look at him, pushing a stray lock of hair back from her face. She was genuinely flustered.

"I, uh.. I leaned too far forward on the ladder and it started to tip. I fell, but Wally caught me." Her cheeks were flushed and she had trouble looking at him. "I didn't know you were standing there."

"He wasn't, he was in the kitchen hanging mistletoe," Robin said, a wide smile on his face. "He saw the ladder start to tip and ran to catch you."

Wally swallowed hard and his jaw clenched. "Can't have you getting hurt before Christmas," he said quietly. "You can't open gifts when you're in a cast or something." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "You'd have done the same for me."

Artemis just stared at the wall behind him, not knowing what to say. Then she looked up at him. "Thanks, Wally."

He smiled, some of the tension lifting from his shoulders. "You're welcome."

"Did I miss a 'moment', here?" Roy asked, leaning against the doorway to the living room. He eyed the tree and its decorations, giving a slight nod of approval.

"Oh, yeah. Artemis was up on the ladder decorating the tree, and it started to tip. Wally was stari… OW! Wally!" Robin rubbed his bicep where Wally had smacked him, glaring up at him.

"Artemis was on the ladder, she leaned too far and it started to tip. I was able to catch her so she didn't get hurt. End of story." Wally turned and walked away from the group. "I've got to finish shopping," he muttered before he disappeared into the hallway. Megan and Connor went back to hanging the lights Robin brought back. Artemis finished putting a few more ornaments on the tree and Roy started gathering empty boxes.

"Well, that was awkward," Zatanna said, turning back to the garland she and Kaldur had been hanging. "I hope Wally's okay."

Kaldur picked up his end of the garland and held it up so Zatanna could hang and staple it to the wall. "I'm sure he'll be fine. It's not as if that's the first time he's ever been embarrassed." There was a subtle grin on Kaldur's face which Zatanna picked up on immediately.

"I'm beginning to see that."

"Hey, you need any help?" Robin appeared behind them. Zatanna startled and craned her neck to look at him, still holding up the garland.

"We're actually good, I think. We've sort of got a system going, you know?" She turned back to the wall and Kaldur handed her another length of garland. "Thanks for offering, though."

"Oh, okay. Sure. I'll go help Roy with the boxes."

Kaldur bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't laugh, but Zatanna noticed anyway.

"Someone needs to get a set of bells for that kid," she said, grinning. "He sneaks up on you too easily. He's like a ninja or something." Kaldur shook his head and opened the last box of garland.

"And that's not the first time it has been suggested," he said. "Nor will it be the last."

"Agreed." She put one last staple in the garland and stepped back to admire their work. "Man, we are _good_." She held up her hand and Kaldur gave her an awkward high-five.

* * *

Dinah finished arranging the food on a long buffet table near the Christmas tree and stepped back to admire her handiwork. The white linen tablecloth was barely visible beneath all of the platters, serving dishes, and punch bowls, and the soft glow of the thousands of Christmas lights gave the room a very mellow feeling.

 _Not that it will last long once they all get here_ , she thought, chuckling to herself. She stole a sugar cookie from one of the trays and took a bite, turning to go find Ollie so they could leave before any of the kids showed up. As she passed through the kitchen doorway, a strong pair of arms grabbed her from behind and wrapped themselves tightly around her waist, and the cookie she'd been holding in her hand disappeared.

"These are good," Ollie said into her ear, his mouth full of cookie. "We should take some home."

Dinah turned in his arms, wrapping her own around his neck. "I should take _you_ home," she said with a smile.

"I have no problem with that whatsoever." With a slightly cocky smirk, he looked at the doorway above them, spotting the mistletoe Wally had put there just two days ago. "Well, what do we have here?" He leaned closer and kissed her neck, making her laugh.

"Ollie, we should really get going. They'll start arriving shortly," she said, not bothering to try and get away. "I have better plans in mind for tonight anyway."

"Is that so? In that case," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and putting his other hand on the back of her neck. He dipped her backwards and kissed her, letting her know just what his thoughts were about their plans for later. She smiled into the kiss, holding him tightly. A moment later he brought her upright again, kissing her one more time.

"Remind me to thank whoever put that there," Ollie said, waggling his eyebrows. "I may have to steal some and put it up at home."

Dinah laughed. "As if you needed another excuse to tease me. Please," she snorted softly, swatting at his arm. "Let's go. We're not hip enough anymore to be at a party with a bunch of teenagers."

"I could certainly teach them a few things about partying," Ollie suggested.

"No. Come on. Or I'm reneging on my plans for us tonight."

"And you call _me_ a tease."

"Yup." Dinah grabbed her coat and walked toward the zeta tube. "It's because you are. And I'm not complaining."

Ollie threw his head back and laughed loudly, stealing another cookie on his way past the table. Part of him wished he could go to this party instead of the Justice League party. He didn't really care to listen to Barry and his karaoke again this year.

* * *

A short while later, Megan and Connor were the first to arrive. She was wearing the black, sequined party dress she'd bought while out shopping with Artemis and Zatanna, her red hair falling in loose waves down her back. Connor had gone all out and was wearing dark jeans and a white henley.

"Here, give me your gift and I'll put it under the tree with mine." Connor handed her a a package about the size of a shoebox, which, by the looks of it, was wrapped professionally. She put it next to hers, a large box wrapped in green paper.

"Where is everyone?" Connor asked, glancing at the table full of food that hadn't been touched and the empty couch.

"I have a feeling they're not far behind," Kaldur said, entering the room. He smiled and put a small gift beneath the tree. "You look very nice, Megan."

"Thanks!"

The three of them turned toward the commotion that was approaching from the hallway.

"Zatanna, are you sure I have to wear this? I told you, I don't do dresses."

"Artemis, look. Just be thankful I conceded on the heels and let you wear flats. You look gorgeous, so just relax, okay?"

Megan smiled at Kaldur when she heard Artemis grumble a reply. Zatanna stopped right inside the doorway, her crimson chiffon dress swishing around her knees. "May I present the one and only... Artemis."

When Artemis didn't appear, Zatanna cleared her throat loudly. "Uh, that's your cue, Artemis."

Stepping timidly through the doorway, Artemis looked down at the floor. She was wearing a plum-colored satin dress, the hem grazing her calves, allowing her to showcase the matching ballet flats. Her hair was twirled and twisted into a chignon and a few stubborn pieces grazed her neck.

"Artemis, you look _great_!" Megan squealed, rushing over to hug the embarrassed archer. Artemis blushed slightly.

"Um, thanks, Megan. You look nice, as always. You're really rocking the sequins."

"Hello ladies and gents!"

Robin sauntered into the room and casually waved at everyone. He had a gold package under his arm. He was dressed all in black, the only colour being the bright blue tie he was wearing under his vest. "And might I add we are one good-looking group of heroes."

"Speak for yourself," Roy said, following Robin over to the tree. "I'm in a league all my own." There was a suspicious amount of mischief in his eyes, betraying the smirk currently playing on his lips. For emphasis he ran his hand over his chest and the ivory-coloured turtleneck he was wearing. "I make this look _good_."

"Are you sure there's room in here for us _and_ your ego, Speedy?"

They all turned to see Wally standing in the kitchen doorway, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a gift.

"Look at you, KF. All dressed up." Robin gave him a thumbs-up. Wally glanced down self-consciously, fixing the forest-green button up shirt tucked into his grey trousers.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'm starving!" He put his gift under the tree and made his way toward the buffett table, talking with Robin.

The eight of them stood around awkwardly for a while, munching on the food provided and making small talk. The guys hung out by the food, the girls by the tree. Zatanna sighed.

"Okay, this is weird and not a little boring. Anyone have any ideas on we can have some fun?" She glanced at Artemis and Megan, shrugging her shoulders.

Connor was the first to answer.

"Why don't we just open the gifts now? Isn't that the point of a gift exchange?"

Wally and Robin looked at each other, grinning. "We're in!" Robin said, hurrying to the tree to retrieve the gift he'd brought.

"I'm game," Artemis added.

The eight of them retrieved their gifts from under the tree and sat down near the fireplace, looking at each other awkwardly.

"Oh, for the love of…" Zatanna laughed, handing her gift to Megan. "Here, Megan. I drew your name."

Megan took the slender box and stared at it for a moment, smiling broadly and trying not to cry. "This is my first Christmas, so I'm a little…"

"No need to explain, Megan," Kaldur said. "We understand."

With a deep breath, she tore into the paper and opened the box to see a hat, mittens and a scarf knit from ivory yarn. "These are beautiful!" She ran her fingers over the mittens before putting one on. "And they're so soft! Thank you!" She lunged at Zatanna, crushing her in a hug.

"You're welcome," Zatanna laughed breathlessly. "I can't breathe!"

"Sorry," Megan replied, letting Zatanna out of the hug. "But thank you." She picked up the large gift she'd brought and handed it to Wally. "Here, Wally. This is for you."

Wally looked away from the conversation he'd been having with Roy and Robin and took the box from Megan. "Thanks, beautiful." The box, covered in green paper, took up all of the space in his lap and he lifted the lid, smiling at what was inside.

"What's in it?" Robin asked, looking into the box.

Wally pulled out a red and yellow basketball jersey with 'Kid Flash' across the back. Also in the box was a new basketball. He stared at Megan, a goofy grin on his face. "This is great, Megan. Really."

Everyone looked at the two of them, completely missing the significance of the gift.

"Okay, I don't get what the big deal is, it's just a…" Robin started. Artemis cut him off.

"That's what you were doing that night when the two of you…" Artemis said, trailing off when Wally nodded gently. He picked up the box at his feet, wrapped in silver paper, and handed it to Roy, effectively changing the subject.

Roy turned the box over in his hands for a moment, before hooking a finger in the paper and tearing it off. He shook his head and sighed.

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare?"

"Uh, yeah. Now you, Robin and I can play on the same team online. But Robin cheats, just to warn you." Wally elbowed Robin, who laughed maniacally.

Roy flipped the case over and read about the game. "I've never played but it looks like it could be fun. Thanks, KF." He picked up a small, flat box and handed it to Zatanna. "Here, this is for you."

Zatanna tore the paper away and opened the box to find a crimson leather-bound journal and matching fountain pen. "This is gorgeous! I can use this for my incantations. Thanks!"

Roy nodded in acknowledgement and went back to discussing Call of Duty strategy with Wally. Kaldur stood and handed a small gold box to Artemis. "This is for you, Artemis. Merry Christmas."

She took the box from Kaldur, untied the ribbon and opened it. She stared for a moment before looking up at him in bewilderment and held up a black pearl bracelet. "Did you make this?"

Kaldur nodded. "I did. They are easy to find in Atlantis and I had a friend teach me how to string them together."

"It's beautiful, thank you!" She stood up and hugged him, catching him off-guard. Fortunately for Wally, no one saw his posture straighten and his jaw clench ever-so-slightly.

Zatanna helped Artemis with the clasp, and Artemis handed a small, square box to Robin. "This is for you, ninja-boy."

Robin shook his head and smiled, tearing into the paper. He opened the box and rolled his eyes, still laughing. "Bells, Artemis? Seriously?"

Zatanna snorted loudly, nearly choking on her punch.

"Yeah, bells. You should have to wear those all the time so you can't sneak up on people," Artemis said. "It's creepy." The corner of her mouth twitched as she tried not to smile. She held up another box and shook it. "This is your real present."

Robin opened the second box, tilting his head to the side. He pulled out a picture frame made of shiny black granite.

"Whenever I walk by your room, you're always looking at a photo, and I thought you could use this so it wouldn't get lost or ruined."

Robin grew quiet and stared at the frame for a moment. "Thanks, Artemis. This is perfect."

"You're welcome." She watched Robin for a moment as he traced his fingers along the smooth edge of the frame. He picked up a larger box and gave it to Connor.

"This is for you, Supey."

Connor took the box and ripped the paper, laughing when he saw what the box contained. "Noise cancelling headphones. Nice."

"Now when Wally and I have our Guitar Hero marathons you can sort of block us out," Robin said. "I know you still have your superhero hearing but this should help."

"Thanks." Connor was laughing as he handed a similarly-sized box to Kaldur. Kaldur opened the box, revealing another pair of the noise-cancelling headphones Robin had just given Connor. "I guess now you don't have to borrow mine," Connor added with a chuckle.

"I can also use these when Robin and Wally are arguing over the fact Robin is a cheater, and when Wally and Artemis fight."

"Excuse me? Artemis and I don't fight. She starts all of it, and ignoring her doesn't make her go away so I have to defend myself," Wally huffed indignantly. "Besides. Her voice is annoying. Mine isn't."

"Riiiight," Roy added dryly. "Your voice isn't annoying at _all_."

"Shut up, Speedy. Your opinion doesn't matter." Wally glared, trying not to smile at Roy as he narrowed his eyes.

But before anyone could say anything further, Roy was nailed in the back of the head with a snowball. He tensed, scraping snow from the collar of his turtleneck. "Who threw that?" His voice was low and _definitely_ irritated.

"Guys? In case you don't know by now, it's snowing," Artemis said from the doorway, holding another snowball. She, Megan and Zatanna had donned heavy jackets and boots and were standing in the doorway with a pail of snowballs. Artemis aimed and threw the one she was holding, hitting Robin in the chest as he stood up.

"An ambush! That's cheating!"

"Pot, kettle. Have you met?" Zatanna said, tossing another snowball at them. That one hit Kaldur in the arm. "Alright ladies, retreat to the fort!" Zatanna threw another one, hitting Wally in the shoulder.

They girls turned and rushed back outside, leaving some stunned, snow-covered boys in their wake.

"Oh, it's _so_ on," Wally muttered.

* * *

An hour, several hundred snowballs and quite a few numb fingers and toes later, everyone trudged back inside, laughing and out of breath.

"I think the girls won that last round," Zatanna said, dropping the empty pail to the floor. She shook the snow from her hood and hair. "Even with Wally cheating and using his speed to make snowballs for his team.

Wally grinned. "Hey, you're the one who never called 'no powers'. I just found the loophole." He toed off his boots and wandered over to the buffet table before plopping himself on the couch. "I am glad we're going to have a white Christmas, though."

"See, Miss M? Told you we'd have a white Christmas." Robin sat on the couch next to Wally, handing him the guitar controller. "Feel like getting owned?"

Wally grabbed the guitar and set his food aside. "Nah. But let me know what it feels like, okay?"

Connor sat down next to Robin. "What do you two see in this game? Is it honestly that fun?"

Wally and Robin looked at Connor then at each other. Matching grins appeared on their faces.

"Let us teach you the ways of Guitar Hero and you can see for yourself," Robin said, handing the guitar to Connor. "The best part about this is you don't really have to worry about chords or anything. It's just matching the buttons here," he gestured to the five multi-colored buttons, "to the notes you see on the screen."

Wally stood up and disappeared into his room while Robin taught Connor how to play Guitar Hero, reappearing with a box wrapped in red and white paper. He scanned the room looking for Artemis and spotted her at the buffet table making a sandwich. He approached her warily, unsure of how to ask get her attention.

"Uh, Artemis?"

She turned around and licked a bit of mustard from her index finger. "Hey Wally." She spotted the package in his hand. "What's that?"

He held it up for her to take. "It's for you. I know I didn't draw your name, but I still wanted to get you something. I noticed a few weeks ago, when we were out in the rain, that your jacket wasn't keeping you warm. I thought this might help."

Artemis set her plate down and glanced up at Wally, puzzled at the gift. He fidgeted as he waited, rolling up the sleeves on his shirt and then shoving his hands in his pockets. She tore the paper and ribbon away and opened the box. Her eyes widened. "Wally, this is…" She held up the green jacket, turning it to admire the yellow piping down the sleeves.

"It's a fabric that's more resistant to moisture than the one you have, and since it's not a rain jacket it still breathes and you don't overheat. It should keep you warm and dry."

Artemis unzipped the jacket to try it on, but Wally gently took it from her and held it open. She blushed as she turned around and slid her arms in. He smoothed the collar at the back of her neck and smiled as she turned to show him.

"It's a perfect fit. How did you know?" She zipped the jacket and smoothed it over her torso.

"Kid Flash, remember? I admit I snuck into your room shortly after that night and looked at your other jacket to get the size."

She smacked him lightly on the arm, grinning. "You were in my room by yourself? Should I be worried?"

His cheeks turned a furious shade of red and he looked down. "No. All I looked at was the jacket, I swear."

"Good." She unzipped the jacket and took it off, folding it to put it back in the box.

"But I was surprised to see the teddy bear in your closet. I never pictured you for such a softie, Artemis," Wally said.

As hard as she tried, the scowl Artemis tried to give Wally just wouldn't cooperate. "I'm glad you didn't do any more digging, then because you may have found this." She handed him a small box wrapped in yellow paper with a red bow. Wally stared at the gift.

"You got me a present?"

"Duh. Earth to Wally. When someone hands you a gift, Miss Manners would tell you to accept it."

"Oh, right. Sorry." He took the box and removed the bow, tearing into the paper and smiling when he opened the box. It was a framed photo of The Flash and Kid Flash after their first successful team-up. "I don't have this one, where did you find it?"

"I used my crazy-ninja skills," Artemis said, smirking slightly at first, the smirk soon softening into a smile. "But I'm glad you like it."

"Like it? I love it. Thank you." He stunned Artemis by wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. "Thank you."

She wrapped her arms around him, enjoying the feeling of being hugged. "Thanks for the jacket, Wally."

"You're welcome."

"Ahem."

Flustered, Wally and Artemis let go of each other to see Roy standing next to them, dangling some mistletoe on a stick over their heads.

"Pucker up, Cassanova. It's tradition," Roy said. He gently swung the mistletoe to make his point.

They looked at each other and Wally winked at her. They put their gifts on the table and much to Roy's surprise, Wally grabbed him, dipped him backward and Artemis planted a kiss on his forehead.

"There you go, Roy." She picked up her jacket and went to join Megan in front of the fireplace. Wally hauled Roy upright again and clapped a hand on his shoulder as he walked away.

"Roy! How did that backfire?" Robin asked, rushing over.

"How was I supposed to know they would do that?"

Wally grabbed the stick from Roy's hand as he argued with Robin and took off, planning to repay the favor.

Throughout the rest of the evening Wally exacted his revenge with the mistletoe. When Robin and Zatanna were in the kitchen getting some ice for the punch? Wally appeared with the mistletoe. Robin turned a new shade of red when Zatanna kissed his cheek, and then Wally matched his blush when she surprised him and kissed his cheek, too. When Megan and Connor were testing his new headphones, Wally popped up from behind the couch with the mistletoe. He didn't stick around long enough to make sure they kissed, but from Megan's dreamy sigh Wally was certain they did. And later, when Artemis was sitting in front of the fire and everyone else had long gone off to bed, Wally sat down beside her, dangled the mistletoe above their heads and smiled softly.

"Merry Christmas, Arty."

"Merry Christmas, Wally."

Robin and Roy high-fived in triumph from the kitchen doorway as Wally kissed Artemis gently. However, Roy had to pull Robin away when Wally kissed her again and cupped her jaw, pulling her to him.

"Okay, then. That was definitely on the list of things I didn't need to see." Robin said, grinning.

"Then why did I have to literally pick you up and carry you away?"

"My curiosity makes me a good detective."

"Mmm hmm. Right."

"Want to play Call of Duty?"

"Will it shut you up?"

"Possibly."

"It's worth a shot, then."

"Merry Christmas, Roy."

"Merry Christmas, shortpants."

There was a sound of a fist hitting a bicep and then Robin's laugh rang down the hallway.

"Kids," Roy muttered, smiling to himself as he took off after Robin.


	9. A Fight Without Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quote for this chapter:
> 
> Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil. -Aristotle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I claim Nora as my own. :)

Robin had never witnessed an argument that occurred only via telepathy, but as the saying goes, there really is a first time for everything.

Conner and Megan were in the kitchen one night getting something to eat after the two of them, Robin and Kaldur had returned from an assignment. What began as Conner asking Megan to hand him a fork from the drawer next to her erupted into complete and total… silence. Megan used her telepathy to open the drawer and levitate a fork into Conner's waiting hand, and when Robin entered the kitchen looking for a quick snack, Megan's concentration wavered and she bent the fork so severely it was nearly unrecognizable as an eating utensil.

Robin backed out of the kitchen at once and flattened himself against the wall when he saw Conner's jaw set and his face turn red- both signs of his trademark volcanic eruption of rage. He sent Kaldur and Wally a text, saying only ' _There's something rotten in the state of Denmark.'_ Kaldur promptly replied, asking what was wrong and Wally replied a moment later, saying he didn't care about Robin's British Lit homework because he was working on his physics take-home test and trying to study for his upcoming English Lit exam next week at the same time and he was absolutely starving since he hadn't had a chance to get up and..

Robin stared at his phone for a moment, shaking his head and marveling at Wally's talent for rambling in a text message. He replied to Kaldur and tucked the device into his pocket, peering into the kitchen again as the total _lack_ of a knock-down, drag-out argument made him incredibly uneasy. Megan was leaning on the island in the center of the room, her arms crossed and facing the living room. Conner had his hands on the counter and his eyes shut tightly, breathing through his nose. While any other person would assume they were giving each other the silent treatment, Robin knew they were likely screaming at each other inside their heads. And the thought of them both being so angry at _anybody,_ let along each other, upset him. As someone who cherished his privacy, he chose to continue his retreat down the hallway toward the zeta tubes to head back to Gotham.

When he heard Robin's footsteps fade away, Conner walked around the counter and went to sit on the couch. Knowing M'gann was aware of everything he thought at the moment, he and focused instead on their assignment earlier instead of the real issue he was concerned about. He pictured their suspect, a creature they'd apprehended and suspected was behind the destruction of research facility in Virginia, and how neither Robin nor Aqualad could get any information out of it. Then he mentally replayed his own turn at interrogating it, even his more aggressive style not working.

" _Conner, just let me explain,"_ M'gann pleaded.

Conner continued thinking about what he saw next, how she had entered the room and put a gentle hand on his arm, nodding toward the door. He joined Robin and Aqualad just outside the room, leaving the door open slightly so he could see. What he saw next had scared him. She approached the creature and stood about two feet in front of the chair where it was restrained. Relaxing her shoulders, she dropped her arms to her sides and extended her fingers. She tilted her chin down so she was looking directly in its face. Immediately the creature tensed and tried to look away from her, but since it was tied down there was nothing it could do. Whatever she was doing was causing obvious and severe discomfort, since the creature howled and gnashed its teeth.

He looked at M'gann, then around her at the creature, seeing it writhe in pain. Her hands flew to her temples as if to steady herself and he noticed her start to tremble. But before he could do anything, their suspect went limp in the chair and she stumbled to the side, bracing herself against the wall for support.

"He's not here to do any harm," she said wearily. "He was just here to take back something NASA took from them during their last mission."

"Which was?" Robin asked.

"He wouldn't say what it was, only that he destroyed it and only wants to leave." She turned to face the three of them. "And I believe him." She looked at Conner and noticed he was still staring at the creature.

"What did you do to it?" He knelt in front of it and untied it, but when moved to tilt its head up it flinched and scurried away from him. "M'Gann, what did you do?"

"Nothing," she whispered. "Nothing that would hurt him, anyway. He wouldn't let go of the information we needed, so I... I made him let go."

"M'gann," Aqualad began. Robin cut him off.

"Let's take him back to where we found him so he can go home. I'm sure after tonight he won't _want_ to come back." He looked pointedly at Megan and held his hands up, palms outward, and moved toward the creature to help it stand.

" _Conner, it's not what you think."_

He startled when her voice inside his head brought him back to the present.

" _Then what was it?"_

" _We needed to find out why he was here and what he was doing. And obviously Robin, Aqualad and you couldn't get him to say anything, so I..."_

Conner stood and turned to face her, his expression no longer angry. Just... hurt.

" _You telepathically tortured him, M'Gann. When he couldn't talk, you mentally beat it out of him."_

" _But I didn't hurt him, Conner, not that badly, anyway. And if it's not permanent and we got what we needed, what's the problem?"_ She shrugged and hopped up on the counter, folding her hands in her lap. _"I don't understand why you're mad at me. You use force all the time to help the Team on assignments..."_

His jaw dropped slightly and he paused, his thoughts racing so quickly she winced. _"You're saying I'm some big brute who only uses his strength to get the job done, at whatever the cost? When have I_ _ **ever**_ _run the risk of permanently injuring someone, or worse, killing someone, M'Gann? When I have to use my strength, it's in defense of myself or of others. I have_ _ **never**_ _used it like you used your telepathy tonight."_

They both looked up when Kaldur entered the kitchen. He noticed the tension immediately. "I'm interrupting something, aren't I?" When neither of them said anything, he nodded. "I am. I apologize. I'll see you tomorrow then, as I'm returning to Atlantis to visit Tula." He looked at both of them one more time before he turned and left. When he was to the zeta tube, he removed a phone from a waterproof pocket of his vest and sent a text message back to Robin.

'You were right. Argument via telepathy.'

A moment later, a quiet beep with Robin's reply. 'Thought so. You think it's about what happened earlier?'

Kaldur glanced back toward the kitchen and sighed. He looked down at the screen and sent one more message. 'Most likely, yes. And if anyone can get through to her, it's Conner.'

* * *

" _So you're allowed to use all of your powers and I'm not?"_ Megan asked. _"How is that fair?"_

He shook his head and for the first time since they got back to the cave, he looked her in the eye. _"That's not what I'm saying, M'Gann. You can use your powers, but you have to be able to control them. Have you forgotten what happened on that training exercise when you couldn't control your strength?"_

She didn't answer at first and Conner could feel her hesitation and confusion. _"But that was different, Conner. That didn't actually happen."_

" _That doesn't change the fact that it_ _ **felt**_ _real- our teammates dying around us. Until that point you didn't even know you could_ _ **do**_ _any of that. What makes you think you know everything about what you can do now?"_

She opened her mouth to speak aloud, but immediately closed it and narrowed her eyes. _"What do you know about self-control?"_ As soon as she said it, her hands flew to her mouth and covered it in shock.

Conner didn't physically react, but she felt the way he mentally flinched and it tore her apart. He closed his eyes and turned away from her.

" _Conner, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"_

"Get out of my head. I don't want to talk anymore." His voice was quiet, barely audible even from just a few feet away, but the tone was unmistakable. When Megan didn't sever the connection, he looked over his shoulder at her. "I said, get **out**."

She broke the connection and when he was sure she wasn't still lurking around, he left the room.

" _What have I done?"_ she wondered. She thought about what she had done to that creature, its anguished screams echoing in her head, and she felt the guilt she had ignored until now settle in her chest. She glanced at the fork she'd mangled into a knot of stainless steel earlier. Levitating it to her hand, she studied it more closely and attempted to bend it back into its proper shape. But no matter how hard she tried, it still didn't look right- it remained slightly distorted. She thought about the creature again but this time, she considered what might have happened had she been interrupted. She would have injured it further, or worse, killed it.

She would find Conner and apologize later, but first she needed to talk to J'onn.

* * *

Conner knew the last place anyone would look for him would be Gotham, so after his fight with M'gann, that's exactly where he went. He found a quiet place to sit atop a bluff overlooking the Sprang River. While the view of Arkham Asylum wasn't exactly scenic, the only sounds he heard were the wind whistling through the trees behind him and the soft 'thud' of Robin's boots hitting the ground to his left.

"That didn't take long."

"I would have been here sooner, but we had a disturbance in the sewer systems that needed to be addressed." Robin sat down next to him, crossing his ankles and leaning back on his hands.

"Heavy, or not so heavy on the dis?"

Robin laughed. "Good question. I'd say it was 'not so heavy'. More of a nuisance, really."

"Do I even want to know?" Conner asked, still staring out over the water.

"Not really, no. Something tells me you're not into reptiles, anyway."

"Yeah, they're right up there with monkeys."

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes until Conner had the nerve to ask Robin how much he knew about the argument he'd had with M'gann earlier.

"I don't know a lot, other than it likely had something to do with what she did during her interrogation earlier." Robin paused and looked at him. "What happened?"

Conner didn't answer and continued staring at the buildings of Arkham, watching the lights go out one by one, darkness enveloping the island.

"After what she did, I'm questioning everything I know about her," he said quietly. "She had no remorse over what she did. She could have killed that thing and she doesn't think what she did was wrong. How can she not see it?"

Robin studied him from the corner of his eye. "When you asked her about it, what did she say?"

"She compared what she did to how I use my strength. But they aren't the same thing." He shifted so he faced Robin. "I mean, I know I get angry, but I would never torture someone."

Robin felt there was more to the story, but he didn't push. "And you think that's what she did?"

"You saw what happened after she went in there, I know you did. Whatever she did caused it a lot of pain." He picked up a rock and crumbled it in his hand, watching the dust swirl in the breeze. "You of all people know what torture looks like, Robin. You work in Gotham."

Robin nodded in agreement. "Point taken. But knowing Miss M, I can understand why she would think she wasn't doing anything wrong. We all use our abilities to get the job done, but we've learned how to control everything and we've spent a lot of time training. She hasn't."

"So you're saying what she did is okay?"

"No, not at all. It was the exact opposite of being okay. But everyone makes mistakes. It's how we learn. But do me a favor."

"What?"

"One of the many things Nora taught me was that everybody deserves a second chance, especially the people you love and those who love you. Don't shut her out. At least not until you two have talked about this."

Conner's mind wandered back to the day he followed Robin to the cemetery when he went to visit Nora. Although he didn't fully understand what regret felt like, if it felt like anything Robin was going through at that time, he never wanted to find out. They watched a tugboat below them slowly make its way upriver, a few minutes passing with neither of them saying a word. They were staring out over the bluff when Robin's earpiece beeped.

"Robin to Batman, what is it?"

Conner focused on the water below and the sounds of a tugboat. He didn't want to eavesdrop.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Robin stood and shook the dirt from his cape. "I've gotta run. But I'll be here if you need me and I hope you two can work things out."

Conner glanced up at Robin just in time to catch a glimpse of his cape as he disappeared into the night. Once again he was alone.

Maybe he was better off that way.

* * *

Nearly a week passed before the entire group assembled at the cave to prepare for an assignment. After everyone was given tasks, they split up into smaller groups to plan. Wally, Conner and Artemis were standing next to the flat-screen monitor, plotting the route they would take later.

"So what's going on with you and Megan?" Wally asked. "She won't even look at you. You two have your first fight?" Artemis smacked his shoulder and scowled at him. "What? I don't like seeing Megalicious so unhappy. What's wrong with that?" Wally rubbed his arm, slightly surprised at how hard she'd hit him.

Before Conner could say anything, Artemis spoke. "Ever think about the possibility she did something to hurt him?" she asked, sparing a glance at Conner. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Conner said, looking at Artemis, then at Wally. "Can we get back to work?"

Artemis and Wally made eye contact before turning back to the map, Artemis shrugging one shoulder. They hadn't been on the last assignment, but whatever happened that night had made things tense and awkward between Megan and Conner. To complicate things, Robin wouldn't say what happened. Neither of them even bothered to ask Kaldur because he wouldn't say anything, either.

Conner could feel M'gann watching his every move and it was difficult to pretend he didn't notice. He really wanted to talk to her, but he had no idea what to say or how to deal with the way their argument ended. He wasn't exactly ignoring her, but every spare minute he'd had was spent outside the cave. He looked up and studied the map one more time, frowning in concentration. He barely felt the tap on his shoulder.

"Wally, your handwriting is terrible. I can't even read.."

He froze at the sound of Megan's voice in his head. The pen he was holding dropped to the floor and his fingers met slender green ones when he bent to pick it up.

" _Conner? Can I talk to you?"_

" _Uh, sure."_

" _Can we go outside?"_

All he could manage was a nod and he followed her down the hall. Once they were out on the beach, she spoke.

"I'm sorry for what I said, for the whole self-control thing. I didn't mean any of it but I was so confused and angry and I just blurted it out." She wrung her hands together, making no effort to hide how nervous she was. Conner stood there for a few seconds with his hands shoved in his pockets, staring down at the sand. "Conner, talk to me. Please?"

"I don't know what to say, M'gann. I know you didn't mean what you said, but it still hurt."

She nodded and a single tear slid down her cheek. "I understand, but imagine what it felt like to hear you say you didn't trust me. You were thinking I was some kind of monster or something. A freak."

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "I was trying to hide those thoughts because I didn't actually believe them. But at the same time, I couldn't help but think about it, because what I saw you do scared me." When he opened his eyes, she was staring out at the water. Her arms were crossed defensively over her chest and she didn't try to keep the ocean air from blowing her hair across her face.

"You aren't a freak or a monster, M'gann. While those are the thoughts you may have seen in my head, you know deep down that's not how I feel about you. What you're capable of doing is incredible, but you need more practice so you can use your gifts the way you know you should." He brushed her hair back from her face, his knuckles hesitating along her cheek. She still didn't look at him.

"I thought I was helping, I thought what I did was right. The three of you hadn't been able to get anything useful from that thing and I knew I could." She looked up at him. "I didn't even realize what I'd done until you showed me later that night, I didn't know I'd hurt it like that." She blinked and the tears she'd been holding back spilled onto her cheeks. "I'll never do it again. I'm so sorry."

Conner stepped in front of her, unsure of what to do. Of the many things Superman had taught him, comforting a girlfriend in tears definitely wasn't one of them, so he did the only thing that came to mind. He opened his arms and when she stepped into them, he hugged her tightly. And as much as he wanted to believe her, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he had that this wouldn't be the last time they would have this conversation. He stared out into the water, rubbing circles on M'gann's back.

Only time would tell.


	10. Losing Robin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is a bit different in that it involves a character we never actually saw on Young Justice: Jason Todd. I've taken a bit from the 'A Death in The Family' canon, but also a small amount from 'Young Justice' in order to make this work. Because of that, let's just call this an AU, shall we?
> 
> The chapter is rated K and I make no profit from this. All characters are property of.. well, not me. This chapter's quote is by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

**Chapter Ten - Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy.**

Dick was halfway up the stairs when he realized he wouldn't be entering an empty apartment. Having known Bruce Wayne as long as he had, he was able to sense when his mentor and partner was nearby. It was an important skill he learned early, always being able to sense where your partner is in a fight. So when he got to the penthouse floor of the building, he didn't even bother to unlock the door because he knew the lock had already been picked anyway. With a weary sigh he turned the knob and let himself in, kicking the door shut behind him with a scuffed, muddy boot.

He winced and inhaled sharply as he bent over to untie his boots, noticing for the first time since the adrenaline had worn off the bruised ribs on his right side. What he thought had been just a glancing blow had actually connected fairly well and he guessed he'd have a nasty side ache for a week or so. Clutching his right side with his left arm, he carefully bent down and retrieved the boots, tossing them back into the entry way. He'd clean them off later. He was more interested in why Bruce was sitting in his living room in the dark.

Shuffling through the dark kitchen he made his way into the living room. The first faint lights of dawn cast a faint glow in the room and allowed him to see Bruce slouched down in an armchair by the window, a glass with melting ice cubes on the table to his right. While he didn't drink, Dick instantly recognized the smell of the expensive bourbon Bruce enjoyed. Without turning his head Bruce removed a silver flask from the breast pocket of his jacket and held it out for Dick.

"No thanks, I'm good." Dick leaned down and turned on a lamp. The moment the soft, white light illuminated Bruce's face Dick noticed the bloodshot eyes and unusually sullen expression. "Bruce, what's wrong?"

"Why don't you go take a hot shower and we can talk about it after. You look like you could use it about now." He gave Dick a once-over, noticing the swollen left cheek and how he was holding his rib cage. "Are you alright?"

Dick nodded quickly. "I'm fine. Well, I'm _sore_ but I'm fine." He bit his tongue, wanting to ask again what was wrong, but he knew he wouldn't get an answer until he tended to himself first. He mumbled something about being back in a few minutes and disappeared down the hallway toward the bathroom. He scrambled as quickly as his injured ribs would allow him and somehow managed to take the fastest shower of his life. The only thing he couldn't do quickly was put on his shirt. He stifled a groan as he put his arms through the sleeves of his shirt and then held his breath as he raised his arms to pull it over his head.

Out in the living room Bruce remained motionless, staring out into Bludhaven as the sun began to rise. He wasn't entirely sure why he was here; the news he had for Dick could easily have been delivered by phone but he couldn't bring himself to do that. Dick would undoubtedly have questions and would be heartbroken enough already and Bruce didn't want to add to that keeping his distance. He preferred to grieve alone, but he knew Dick needed to be around family.

He heard Dick's pained groan from the bathroom and turned his head, brows flinching slightly in worry. A moment later Dick reappeared, knotting the drawstring on his black cotton pants. Bruce noticed the worn Haley's Circus t-shirt he was wearing and made a note to either find a new one or have another one made. Dick ran a hand through his wet hair and gingerly sat down in the chair opposite Bruce.

"Is Alfred okay?" he asked, twisting and turning to try and get comfortable.

"Yes, Alfred is fine." Bruce ran a finger up the side of his empty glass, the urge to refill it growing stronger as the seconds ticked by.

Dick frowned, not knowing who else to ask about. Obviously something was bothering Bruce and it was weighing on him so heavily that it had to be incredibly personal. "How's Selina?"

Bruce gave a single nod as he answered. "She's doing well." He watched as Dick glanced out the window, his worried expression reflecting back at him. He could easily tell Dick knew something was wrong but was so exhausted he hadn't picked up on his lack of mention of Jason yet. "Dick, did you know Jason and I had taken a trip abroad a couple of weeks ago?"

He shook his head. "No. I haven't talked to Jason in quite some time. Things have been pretty chaotic here," he said quietly, beginning to fidget. "And everything outside the city didn't hit my radar." He met Bruce's gaze and the dread he felt in his gut grew stronger. "Bruce, what's going on?"

Bruce hesitated a moment and shifted in his chair so he faced Dick. "Something happened to Jason."

A shiver ran up Dick's spine and he inhaled sharply, fighting the urge to panic. He'd heard that line before and Jason had always been fine; he dislocated a shoulder after getting in a fight with Killer Croc or some thug broke his nose and Jason returned the favor by breaking his arm. Somewhere deep inside he knew the answer to the question he was about to ask, but despite not wanting to ask it, the words tumbled from his lips anyway.

"Is he okay?"

Bruce, never being one for subtlety, answered bluntly. "He's dead."

Dick fell back into his chair with a gentle thud and seconds later his vision blurred and his breathing went ragged. He heard himself ask what happened as the shock began to course through him. Bruce refilled his glass and looked out the window again, the muscles in his jaw working as he tried to compose himself enough to explain what happened.

Jason picked up the detective and research parts of being Robin very quickly, but Dick had known he would from the very beginning. While he grew up on the streets, Jason was a smart kid. He had a knack for reading people and it was that very talent of his that realized something was up with his mother. Jason didn't confide in Dick very often; not because he didn't trust him, but because he wanted to keep his weaknesses and personal information to himself. But the few times they did talk, Jason let on that something was wrong with his mother, something felt off. They didn't have the same kind of most had with their mothers.

Dick tuned back in to Bruce when he heard him mention Jason discovered the woman he believed was his birth mother was not- she'd adopted Jason as a baby. It was important to him that he found his real mother, so six weeks ago he began digging. Bruce had been aware of Jason's research and lent a hand when Jason asked him, but other than that he didn't get involved. But when Jason ran out of leads, Bruce stepped in and tried to convince him to let it go. Jason wouldn't, of course, and when he laid out his findings for him, Bruce was impressed that he'd tracked three women to the Middle East.

Bruce paused to take a drink and instead of putting the glass back on the table, he rested it on one knee. The ice cubes clinked against the sides of the glass, the sound seeming much louder than usual on account of Dick's heart pounding in his ears.

"You let him go alone?"

Bruce threw him a dark look. "Of course not. When I couldn't convince him to stay in Gotham, I decided to go with him. Alfred helped me set up the trip details and we left two weeks ago."

He went on to explain that the first two women couldn't possibly be Jason's birth mother and that the third one, a woman they located in northern Africa, admitted that she had given Jason up for adoption as an infant. Jason was overjoyed and she agreed to meet them back in Beirut in a few days when she was finished with her tour as a humanitarian aid worker. Bruce and Jason were ambushed before they left Ethiopia and when Bruce came to, Jason was gone. Between that day and the day Jason died, Bruce figured out she'd been working for the Joker. To try and protect herself she offered up Jason to the Joker, but in her ignorance, she'd underestimated him and she was killed along with her son.

Dick hunched forward, propping his elbows on his knees and covering his face with his hands. He couldn't yet process the Joker's involvement and among the myriad of questions he had, the most important one he managed to ask. "What did he do to Jason?"

"You don't want the details."

He looked up at Bruce, tears in his eyes. "Someone has to tell the Team what happened to Robin, Bruce. I need to know. They'll have questions. _I_ have questions."

Bruce sighed and leaned forward, draining his glass and resting his elbows on his knees. The empty glass dangled precariously between his fingers.

"Dick, I'm not trying to hide anything, but you really don't want to know."

"Tell me."

He fished the flask of bourbon out of his breast pocket and tossed it to Dick, who looked at it a moment before throwing it back. Bruce shrugged and took a pull.

"This is what I know so far."

Dick was horrified as the details came out and grew sicker and sicker as he listened. Jason and his mother were kidnapped and stashed in a warehouse on the outskirts of Beirut. The Joker had beaten Jason to within an inch of his life and then left the two of them in a warehouse wired to detonate a short time later. He managed to track them down, but it was too little too late. As he was trying to get through the lock on the door, the bomb went off and he was thrown backward and knocked unconscious.

After he finished talking, Bruce stood and brought his empty glass into the kitchen. When he returned he stopped next to Dick's chair and laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing firmly. Dick shook his head.

"I have no idea what to tell his team, Bruce. They're going to be crushed."

"You don't need to tell them everything I just told you. I told you what happened because Jason was like a brother to you. His team only knows him as Robin, just as you're Nightwing and Barbara is Batgirl. If they aren't okay with the details you provide, they can come to me."

He could only manage a nod in response when Bruce told him he was heading back to Gotham. He thought he heard something about an invitation to come stay with them for a while, but when he turned to ask about it Bruce had vanished.

He continued watching the sun rise higher over Bludhaven as he absorbed everything he'd been told. He needed to tell the Team as soon as possible, but first he needed to talk to Barbara before she found out some other way. Climbing gingerly out of the chair, he went to change clothes and set up a meeting with her.

He didn't know what he dreaded more: having to tell Barbara, having to tell the Team, or having to tell the story more than once.

* * *

Dick found Barbara waiting at their usual spot in Gotham, at a diner just down the street from the precinct where her father worked. She was at their table in the back, absently staring at the rain outside with a worried frown on her face.

"Hey, Babs." He took a seat across the table from her, bouncing slightly in the vinyl booth seat and wincing.

"Rough night in the slum?" she asked, trying not to grin. She held up two fingers to the waitress as she made her rounds through the diner.

"If I had a certain red-headed Batgirl watching my back, I'd be good." His smile was a sad one and Barbara reached across the table and took hold of his hands.

"You've had me worried since I got your text, so let's cut to the chase. What's wrong?"

The waitress arrived with two cups and a pot of coffee, smiling politely as she set everything down. She winked at Barbara before walking away and Dick immediately noticed the way her cheeks flushed. He made a note to tease her about that another time. Instead, he stirred some cream and sugar into the coffee and prepared himself for what he was about to say.

"Something happened to Jason."

She studied his face for a moment. They knew each other so well that they often didn't need to say a word in order to communicate. Based on the hurt in his voice and his red, puffy eyes, she knew Jason wasn't going to be okay. She wrapped her hands around her cup to warm them and then made herself comfortable while Dick told her what happened.

When he was finished, she dabbed at her eyes with her shirtsleeve before taking hold of his hands again. They were cold and they were shaking.

"Does the Team know?"

He shook his head. "No, not yet. I wanted to tell you first."

Barbara nodded and took a deep breath to steady herself. "What can I do to help?"

Dick drained his coffee cup before answering, the warmth soothing the ache in his throat. "I know it's a huge favor to ask, but can you pretend we didn't have this conversation? Since you're also on the team, I need you to be there when I break the news. I don't want people to know I told you first, you know?"

"I'll make it work, don't worry." She pulled a few dollar bills out of her pocket and tucked them under a saucer on the table before climbing out of the booth. "I'll see you in a little while, then." She stopped next to him and bent down, kissing his cheek. He turned toward her, gently touching his forehead to hers, and closed his eyes. She kissed his forehead before turning to leave. "I'm so sorry, Dick."

As she headed back out in the rain, Dick sighed deeply and retrieved a communicator that was conveniently disguised as a cell phone. He sent out a message that all members of the team needed to assemble in thirty minutes. He zipped up his jacket and stepped out into the dreary Gotham morning, not at all ready for what he had to do next.

 _One down, one to go_.

Tucked in the alley around the corner from the coffee shop was a broken-down phone booth. With so many people carrying cell phones now, no one used phone booths anymore and it was left undisturbed. Glancing to his right to make sure the coast was clear Dick stepped into the booth and set the biometric controls to take him to the cave. Moments later his arrival was broadcast over the PA system and Wally stood there waiting for him, an enormous grin on his face.

"Long time, no see!"

Dick didn't answer, wordlessly shrugging out of his leather jacket to shake the rain off it. Wally frowned and cocked his head to the side.

"I know Bludhaven has been rough lately, but dude. You look like somebody died."

Dick removed the dark glasses and looked up, watching as Wally's smile disappeared and was replaced by a worried frown. Wally had never seen him so broken and it frightened him. He was about to ask what happened when Dick cleared his throat and started wiping water droplets from the lenses of his glasses.

"Can you gather everyone in the living room? I've got something I need to tell everyone."

The color drained from Wally's face and he nodded, not saying another word before he took off to round up the team. He draped his jacket over his arm and forced his feet to move in the direction Wally had gone. As he got closer to the living room, he could hear everyone talking and carrying on and his stomach rolled, forcing him to stop outside the door. Babs felt his presence and glanced over, her smile falling when she saw him put a hand on the wall to steady himself. She managed to recover before Cassie noticed, the blonde not missing a beat in their conversation.

Wally was waiting for him and when Dick leaned against the wall, he grabbed his upper arm to help steady him. Dick stared at the floor a moment before turning to look at his best friend.

"I don't think I can do this," he whispered.

"I'm so sorry," Wally said quietly. "If there's anything I can do..." he trailed off, not knowing what more to say. Dick nodded and stood up straight, taking a slow, deep breath.

"Thanks."

Wally did his best to hide the sorrow from his face before turning and entering the room, taking a seat next to Artemis. She'd witnessed their exchange and her gray eyes were clouded with worry. Dick entered the room last and one by one, as each member of the team took notice of him, they all went quiet. Garth was the last one talking and when Megan elbowed him in the ribs he cried out in protest, but slapped a hand over his mouth when Megan gestured in Dick's direction. His cheeks turned red and he immediately sat still.

Dick took another deep breath and let it out slowly, swallowing hard as he looked around the room. Barbara, Wally and Artemis were devastated already, and everyone else's expressions gradually morphed into fear and worry. Just as Dick was going to speak, Roy walked in and sat down next to Wally, holding up a hand in apology for being late. Dick gave a silent nod in acknowledgement and cleared his throat.

"Thanks for coming in on such notice, everybody. Now that everyone's here, I can get started."

It was Conner who noticed first. "No, everyone's not here. Where's Robin?"

There were murmurs throughout the room and the noise level increased. Zatanna spoke up from the back, her voice calm and even.

"If you all be quiet, I have a feeling he'll explain that," she said. Again, the room descended into silence and she briefly made eye contact with him before looking down at the floor, the pain in his eyes being too much for her to bear. "The floor is yours. Please continue."

Dick cleared his throat and began to speak, his voice coming out pained and rough, a tone few in the room had ever heard. "There's never an easy way to say something like this," he said gently. "So I'll just come right out and say it. Robin was killed in an accident three days ago."

There were several seconds of stunned silence before shocked gasps rippled through the group. Babs started crying again, her face buried in her hands and her shoulders hunched forward. Roy put a hand on her back for a moment before wrapping his arm around her and holding her to him. Even Kaldur had a visible reaction, his typically stoic demeanor beginning to crumble as he looked around the room at his devastated friends and teammates.

Conner spoke up angrily, his eyes never leaving Nightwing's face. "Who do we need to hunt down?"

Dick answered with his rehearsed, intentionally vague response, hoping they wouldn't ask any more than that. "He'd taken a trip abroad and there was an explosion. He was inside the building at the time."

Conner continued staring him down, easily sensing there was more to the story. "Where? When did he leave? Was it personal or was it a League-related matter?"

"He left about two weeks ago and traveled through the Middle East and northern Africa. And it was a personal matter." Dick shifted his weight from one foot to the other, crossing his arms. Conner seemed discontent with the answer and gave Dick a half-shrug, knowing he wouldn't get any more information out of him. It was an often frustrating trait the entire Bat Family seemed to share.

Megan cleared her throat before speaking, her voice sounding even smaller than usual. "Was he alone?"

Dick shook his head. "No. Batman was with him."

An awkward silence settled over the room and the minutes ticked by slowly, no one having any idea what to say. Garth and Megan excused themselves and went for a walk, as Garth was struggling to process what they had just been told. Zatanna did the same, but not before hugging Dick tightly and whispering something into his ear that no one else heard. He nodded and she kissed his cheek before heading for the door.

Several others left a few minutes later, leaving Roy, Kaldur, Wally, Artemis, Roy, Barbara and Dick in the living room. Everyone took a seat on the chairs and sofas clustered around a large, low table. Dick chose one of the plush chairs, leaning forward with his head down and his face in his hands. His normally impeccable posture had disappeared. Barbara left her seat next to Kaldur and slid an ottoman next to Dick's chair, sitting down and leaning against the arm rest.

Roy was the first to speak, using a degree of empathy no one in the room had ever witnessed. "Look, I know you haven't told the whole story about what happened to Robin, and I can't imagine what you're feeling right now. But what actually happened? Batman doesn't operate internationally, we all know that. What were they doing?"

"Look, it's.. it's complicated and I don't think his reasons for being there are mine to share," Dick answered. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. I'm just not sure I _can_." His voice wavered at the end, and Kaldur and Roy exchanged confused glances.

Wally leaned forward, gently shifting Artemis to the spot on the sofa next to him. "Dude, you're with family, here. If you can't talk to family, then who can you talk to?"

"He's right," added Kaldur. "While you had a much different bond with Robin, he was our friend and teammate, too. Allow us to grieve with you."

They waited until Dick sat back in the chair and scrubbed his hands through his hair in defeat. Clearing his throat, he began to share with his team what Bruce had shared with him not eight hours prior.

"Robin…" He cleared his throat and took slow, deep breath. "Robin recently discovered he was adopted and being as stubborn and determined as he is, he started tracking down his birth mother. When the trail ran cold stateside, Batman stepped in and helped him widen the search, specifically looking at the Middle East and northern Africa. Several of the women he believed could be his mother were last seen in that part of the world."

Kaldur shook his head sadly. "We could have helped him with that. He could have come to us for help, I thought we made that clear when he joined the team."

Barbara chose to speak up, gently putting a hand on Dick's knee to stop him. "Kaldur, you know how Batman is with the identities of Robin, Nightwing and me. There's really no way we could have helped Robin, not this time." She paused, taking a deep breath to compose herself. "If it makes you feel any better, he didn't even come to Nightwing or me for help, and we had the tools to give him a hand." She shrugged helplessly and looked down, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Ok, so how did Robin's search for his mom get him killed, then?" Wally asked, cutting Kaldur off. "Despite these women being in such dangerous places, everybody knows the Dynamic Duo still doesn't make an easy target. Something had to have gone wrong."

Dick chuckled humorlessly. "You could say that."

Artemis had taken to pacing back and forth behind one of the couches, her hands tucked in the back pockets of her jeans. She had shifted her gaze from the floorboards at her feet to Dick's face, trying to figure out if they were anywhere near getting an actual answer. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He glanced up at her. "After ruling out the first two he located the third, an aid worker, at a refugee camp in Ethiopia. According to Batman she admitted she was his mother and Robin was elated."

"So when did things go belly-up?" Roy asked. "And why wasn't Batman able to stop it?"

"Has Batman ever stopped the Joker?" Dick asked, looking directly at Roy. Roy's eyebrows shot up in surprise and he sat back in his chair, stunned.

Barbara's posture stiffened and she gripped the arm rest tightly. "You didn't tell me he was involved."

The people in the room who were not members of the Bat Family exchanged puzzled glances but chose to say nothing. That name was like a curse word to anyone who lived in or near Gotham, but few in the room fully understood why.

"There were several things I didn't tell you," Dick replied, curling his fingers around her hand. "Like the fact Robin's mother was being blackmailed and rather than risk being exposed as the fraudulent doctor she was, she handed her own son over to the Joker." His voice broke and the muscles in his jaw clenched as he composed himself. He looked down at her. "I wasn't sure I could say that twice," he whispered.

" _What_?" Roy asked incredulously, ignoring their exchange. He stood and began pacing the length of the room, breathing deeply in an attempt to keep a lid on his anger. Kaldur grabbed his arm when Roy passed by him again and shook his head.

Kaldur spoke up to ease some of the tension in the room. "Nightwing, something tells me that due to your lack of acknowledgement of Robin's mother, she didn't survive, either. Is that true?"

Dick nodded. "Robin was supposed to meet her back in Lebanon, at her aid organization's headquarters. Somehow, and Batman didn't elaborate, he and his mother never made it back into Beirut. The warehouse they were found in was on the outskirts of the city, outside a military safe zone."

"But you said there was an explosion," said Artemis, sitting down again next to Wally. "What caused it?"

Before Dick had a chance to answer, Wally spoke up, leaning his head down to talk to her quietly. "You do remember the Joker is involved here, right?" She quirked an eyebrow, not fully understanding what Wally was implying.

Everyone turned to look at Dick, seeing tears falling freely down his cheeks now. "He and his mother were inside the warehouse and there was a lock on the door that was put on from the outside. Batman wasn't able to find the warehouse in time. It exploded a few seconds after he arrived, before he could get to the door."

Everyone in the room looked down and all was quiet save for the sounds of sniffling or an occasional shaky sigh. Apart from Dick, no one in the room had lost someone so close to them, or if they had, it hadn't been so violently. Dick swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand and stood up, disappearing for a moment. When he returned he was holding a glass of water.

"I can't imagine what it would have been like to be locked inside a building, knowing you were going to die," Artemis said quietly, to no one in particular. "I hope he didn't suffer much."

Dick choked on his water and coughed, leaning forward and putting the glass on the table. Barbara patted his back several times, jerking her hand away when he winced. Roy and Kaldur glanced at each other and Roy nodded, urging Kaldur to ask what they were all wondering.

"What else haven't you told us? Based on that reaction, I think there's more you haven't shared. I know you want to try and spare us the pain of whatever you're holding back, but let us help." Kaldur's pleas seemed to be the only ones to which Dick would respond.

Dick closed his eyes and exhaled slowly before he started talking again. "After Batman brought Robin home there was an autopsy, as it's standard procedure when there's a question about the cause of death. Robin had wounds that weren't consistent with an explosion."

"What kind of wounds?" Barbara asked, and immediately she knew she was going to regret asking.

"Severe blunt force trauma."

Wally gasped when he felt a sharp elbow jab his ribs. Artemis gave him a look and nodded in Dick's direction. He knew what she was thinking.

"Dude, explosions can cause blunt force trauma, with all that debris flying through the air."

Dick looked like he was about to be sick for a moment before he answered. "His wounds were caused by something else." He swallowed hard before continuing. "The medical examiner was pretty certain the marks were the result of a crow bar."

"He was beaten _before_ the explosives even detonated?" Roy asked. While it seemed like such overkill to him, he admitted to himself that he and most of the people in that room didn't understand the kinds of crazy Gotham seemed to breed. Hearing a story like this one sent chills down his spine and he felt guilty for being grateful he hadn't encountered someone like that yet.

"He was beaten so badly he very well may have died before the explosion," Dick said. "We just don't know. Either way, the Joker made sure he wouldn't make it out alive."

The group sat in silence for little while, trying to come to terms with what happened. No one made a move to go anywhere, and they managed to take some solace in knowing they had each other. Nightwing, however, couldn't handle the stifling silence any longer. He muttered an apology about needing some air and left the room, heading down a hallway leading to the section of the cave with the living quarters. He let himself into what used to be his room, but had been converted into Jason's. One look at the organized chaos of Jason's room and Dick broke down, sitting on Jason's bed and holding his head in his hands.

While he wouldn't trade this life for a safer, more 'normal' one, he acknowledged the curse that plagued anyone and everyone who worked with Batman and that included Bruce himself. The adage about bad things happening to good people was heartbreakingly accurate, but just _once_ he wished someone in the family would catch a break, Jason specifically. The kid had never had it easy and somehow took everything in stride, his stubbornness and cocky teenage attitude being a great match for Bruce's own stubbornness and overly-serious demeanor. It was hard to believe he was really gone.

A short time later there was a knock on the door. Dick chose not to acknowledge it because based on the pattern of the strong, petite knuckles on the door, he knew it was Barbara; she was just giving him the courtesy of a few seconds' notice. She slowly opened the door and poked her head in, concern clearly visible in her eyes.

"Mind if I come in?"

She didn't take it personally when there was no reply, his lack of protest being the only sign she needed that she was welcome. She quietly shut the door behind her and handed Dick a tissue before she started straightening up a bit. Jason's dirty laundry went in a basket in the closet and the clean clothes were draped over the chair at his desk. She tossed his boots into the closet next to the clothes basket and picked up Jason's tunic from the floor at the foot of his bed. She was about to hang it in the closet when Dick spoke up, hurt and desperation in his voice.

"Don't.."

Barbara immediately turned and handed the tunic to Dick, their eyes meeting in the dim light as he looked up at her. She nodded in understanding as he laid the tunic next to him on the bed. She turned back to the closet and picked up the boots, his cape, his belt and a domino mask, laying them gently on top of the tunic, knowing what Dick was up to. Not wanting to invade his personal space, she knelt on the floor in front of him so she could look at him.

"If it's any consolation," she said softly, "I think you handled that really well, all things considered."

He removed his glasses and rubbed tears from his eyes. "Better me than anyone else, I guess" he said. "No one should have to deliver news like that."

"Including you."

"You and I both know Bruce couldn't have done that. Jason's team, his friends, they deserved more of an explanation than he would have given them."

"True. But it's a lot to expect of you, too." She wrapped her hands around one of his, squeezing gently.

He returned the gesture, resting his other hand on top of hers and curling his fingers around it.

"I should probably get back to Gotham," he said. "Bruce probably needs help planning everything."

"I'll come along," Barbara replied, giving his hands a squeeze before standing up. "For moral support, if anything."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. You'd do the same for me."

"I miss him."

"Me too."

They carefully packed Jason's uniform into his backpack, Barbara clutching his boots to her chest. After one last glance around his room they shut the door quietly behind them, leaving everything else as they found it. Bruce would likely come by and pack everything up, but it felt wrong to leave the Robin uniform behind. It belonged in Gotham.

It belonged with his _family_.

* * *

Two Years Ago

Dick arrived at the cave with a guest one autumn afternoon and the pair followed the sounds of laughter and loud music to the gym. He stood in the doorway a moment before whistling loudly to get everyone's attention. The conversations and laughter stopped immediately and everyone turned to look at him, their expressions confused and curious. Nightwing hadn't stopped by in quite some time.

"Listen up! I have someone for you to meet- he's a new member of our team and he'll be taking my spot."

A teenage boy with black hair, a red t-shirt and worn, faded jeans stepped out from behind him. He was wearing a familiar pair of black sunglasses and was smiling widely, giving everyone a careful once-over. His gaze stopped momentarily on Batgirl and he gave her a subtle nod that everyone apart from Black Canary seemed to miss. Batgirl winked back at him.

"Hey everybody, 'sup? Name's Robin."

There was a moment of silence before the newcomer closed the gap between himself and his curious new teammates. All at once, everyone clambered to introduce themselves and shake the new Robin's hand and he was clearly loving every minute of it. Dick leaned against the doorframe and watched with a proud smile on his face. He turned to leave a minute later but Jason's voice carried over the commotion in the room.

"Hey, Nightwing?"

Dick turned around, not bothering to hide the grin. "Yeah?"

"This is the second-best day of my life, man. Thanks."


End file.
